Convention Confessions
by CharmedKnights
Summary: After a popular web comic is released, Marinette decides to go to an anime convention dressed as the lead - Ladybug. She runs into a Chat Noir cosplayer who simply won't leave her alone for the rest of the con. Together they go through the ups and downs of convention life. Too bad someone forgot to tell them to ask for the other's name! Ladynoir/Adrienette
1. Post Ticket Purchase

**This is going to be** **complete and utter AU. Miraculous Ladybug has become a popular web comic. Marinette cosplays as Ladybug and meets a Chat Noir cosplayer** *coughADRIENcough* **who sticks with her for the duration of the con. No, they will not be asking each other their names because I've been to conventions where people have only gone by the handle of the character they played as.**

 **So enjoy?**

* * *

She remembered her first convention. She had been afraid. It had been her first time at a convention and she had handmade her costume. She was going as a character named Ladybug from an up and coming web comic series called Miraculous that had taken off. Ladybug was the main character. She lived a double life as a college student and a superhero. Naturally inspired by a character that she could relate to Marinette did her best to recreate Ladybug's costume – a red spandex polka dots. Luckily her hair was naturally like Ladybug's so she did not have to bother with a wig, which thank goodness she did not have to bother with a wig cap.

So when the convention happened, she Marinette was afraid. For once she was putting herself out there, her skill with sewing put to the test against others who had worked far longer on their costumes than she did. She expected to be shunned, laughed at and mocked for her costume choice or a few inaccuracies by the costumed purists. Instead, she found the whole convention to be rather freeing. Dressing up and pretending to be Ladybug brought out a sort of confidence in her that she did not have in her day to day life. She was normally an outcast because of her exuberance over certain shows or the passionate look in her eye when discussing the detail she went into for redesigning a costume.

She found that this is where a lot of other people took on new personas and identities that allowed them to be as geeky and nerdy as they wanted to be, if only for a few days at a time. However, her first con, she had bought her tickets and gotten separated from her group. She later learned this happened frequently and there was nothing to be done about it aside from set up meet up/check in points throughout the day and eventually make it back to their hotel room – or if in the case a convention was nearby someone's home – a base of operations.

As a newbie at the con, she had shyly stuck to the sides of the hall. When someone asked for a picture, she gave them a shy smile, uncharacteristic for the super heroine she was dressed as. A few 'veteran' convention goers gave her tips and complimented her for her costume. They were friendly, comfortable to talk to her as if she were a friend of theirs even though she knew they had never met before, costumed or not. When she nervously readjusted her mask, she saw a woman in a trench coat with black wings behind her. The woman was watching her from across the way.

"Oh my gosh! You're Ladybug!" she gasped.

"Uh, yeah," Marinette said shyly, "I am."

"That's so cool! Your costume is spot on."

She could feel her cheeks heating up. No matter how many compliments she had already received in an hour over her costume, she was still embarrassed to hear the praise. However, that did not mean she was not happy to hear it. It meant her hard work had paid off. A pleasant warmth spread through her chest as she thought about it. But then she realized the girl's pun. Spots, ah yes, that was a clever one. The series she was from was littered with them.

"Thanks."

"Are you going to the photo shoot? There's going to be a shoot for Miraculous."

Photo shoots… Her friend Rose had explained that to her. It was where cosplayers gathered and photographers took their pictures. It was simple enough to understand. Some photographers charged for professional pictures whereas the ones they told her to go to where run by the fans for the fans and eventually someone would post a picture of her online though she was not sure how comfortable she was with having her picture going online.

Marinette frowned. "Um, when is it?"

"An hour. Outside of the Dealer's Room," the woman said.

"Dealer's Room?"

Now if that did not sound shady, Marinette did not know what did. Her friends had not explained what a Dealer's Room was before ditching her to go off to some panel regarding the history of a video game series that Marinette did not play. She had tried to keep up and go with them anyways but the crowd was too thick to cut through. Her friends walked with a purpose that Marinette could not compete with when it came to the panel. It had obviously been important to them because she had not received one text asking where she was or if she was lost.

"First con?" The woman asked.

"Is it that obvious?"

"Nah. You'll be fine. Hey, if you're not busy we can go together. That way you don't get lost, okay Lady?"

"Lady?"

"Ladybug? Lady?" the woman grinned. "I'm Casey from that show Devil Among Us."

Marinette smiled uncertainly and nodded. She did not watch the show but apparently because of the attractive male actors it had been signed on for another season. But because it was in the beginning stages of the series, Marinette could always go back and watch season one before the second was released in the fall. As far as she knew though, Casey was a guy on the show.

"C'mon, it'll be fun!" 'Casey' said.

"Okay," Marinette agreed.

Going around with someone else would probably end up being more fun than waiting for her other friends. 'Casey' seemed pretty friendly enough. She was chatting her up like the two of them had been friends for a long time. It was a little strange for Marinette, but she was growing more comfortable with them. Besides, her friends had better things to do. Their panel was supposed to run two hours anyways. She was not sure how someone could get so passionate about a video game to talk about the history for two hours straight but the more power to them for committing to it.

'Casey' took her hand and started to lead her around, pointing out a few characters here or there, pausing for pictures and taking a few of their own. The two of them started chatting, first about the con, then about the shows they watched. It was, after all, what they were the most passionate about and what drove them to the convention in the first place. So they found common ground in a show they both watched, laughing and mourning the plot twists and turns the writers and actors had thrown at them the most recent season.

"And when they killed Eric… Oh, I thought I was going to die!"

"But they brought him back." Marinette reminded her with a smile.

"Yeah, but this is all the reason why you can't have nice things. The writers in the show will kill them off." 'Casey' said. "To give us feels."

Marinette laughed. That was a very good point. Every time she developed a certain level of attachment for the character, something tragically horrible happened to them. The fan favorites always died. A recent following on a zombie show threatened to riot if one of their favorites died. She dreaded the day it happened, if it happened. Though a small part of her would probably be rather smug and she would get to laugh over the varying reactions.

The two of them wandered until they were outside of the 'Dealer's Room'.


	2. A Miraculous Photo Shoot!

Marinette's mouth went dry. There were so many cosplayers – all from the Miraculous series. It nearly made her heart stop. There were plenty of people dressed as the heroes of the comic. Actually there were more cosplayers than she expected and it was so weird to see someone in the same costume as her. But she also saw people dressed like the villains. She sighed in relief when she spotted a very familiar Lady Wifi.

"Alya," she breathed.

"You know her?" 'Casey' asked.

Ah, right, she was with another cosplayer. The two of them had been talking as if they were friends. It was easy to forget that she didn't really know 'Casey' but she wouldn't admit that she had fun, not yet at least. So she nodded, smiling as Alya took a picture with another Lady Wifi, both of them trying to look as wicked as possible. It made Marinette want to laugh.

"Yeah, we're friends."

"I won't keep you then," 'Casey' said with a grin. "Let's just get a picture together real quick!"

One selfie later and Marinette was free to rejoin Alya. She patiently waited as Alya finished up with the other Lady Wifi. Her friend lit up brightly when she saw Marinette, quickly wrapping her in a hug and squeezing her. Marinette laughed and returned the gesture. This must look so strange to anyone looking. Ladybug hugging Lady Wifi? It would set off the shippers at least. Though, the crowd for that was nearly drowned in Ladybug and Chat Noir shippers.

"Hey! I was wondering where you got off to!" Alya laughed.

"You ditched me!" she protested.

Alya smiled weakly. "But they were doing a photography panel!" she insisted, as if it were justification. "It was over character posing!"

Marinette smiled. Leave it to Alya to find the one panel to help her improve her blog. She reported daily on the comic book series, talking about how it was going to get its own tv show, its own anime, the voice actors suspected to play said characters, she was the most up-to-date aside from the blog from the creator himself. Alya put in a lot of time and effort into her Ladyblog. Really the only reason Marinette was there was to support her friend's adoration of the series. She liked it yes, but this was a whole new level of emersion for the fashion designer.

"The costumes you made are great! I've gotten so many compliments." Alya boasted.

"I'm glad you like it," she said.

"Did you finish the dress version?" Alya asked hesitantly.

"Of course. All three versions," Marinette said.

Slaving away over six costumes, three a piece, had been a terribly grueling experience. But the end results had proven to be worth it so far at least. She was happy with how the super hero suits turned out. They would find out later if the others were successes or not. Marinette wouldn't admit it but she was really enjoying the reception of her costume and hoped the rest of them would be adored just as much as the others.

"So, you ready for the photo shoot?" Alya asked.

"Um, well, I'm not so sure…" Marinette said. "I might just sit off to the side."

"What? No way girl! You can't do that! We need Ladybug!"

"We have Ladybug. Plenty of them." Marinette reasoned. "No one's going to miss one."

She frowned and quickly looked away from the crowd, as not make herself feel worse than she already did. She wasn't sure how comfortable she was with the whole picture thing. There were more than two dozen Ladybugs standing in a crowd, waiting for the photo shoot to start. Marinette wasn't the type to put herself out there, pose with a crowd or take individual shots. No one wanted her picture as Marinette, why would anyone want her picture as Ladybug?

Her friend watched the turmoil play out over her face. Even hidden under the mask, Marinette was very expressive. Alya wracked her mind, trying to think of something to encourage her friend to join in. She wanted Marinette to have fun but she wasn't going to make her do something she just didn't want to do. Alya was actually impressed that Marinette was even wearing a costume, let alone the designer of six!

"We can go, if you want? Hit up the Dealer's room? Or we could go to Artist's Alley? You'd like it there…" Alya suggested.

"But you wanted to do the photo shoot." Marinette said.

"Not if you're not comfortable with it," Alya replied.

Marinette sighed. She was conflicted. This was all about Alya though. Alya was the one who insisted they go to the convention in the first place. She didn't want to take away from her friend's experience at the convention, especially since they paid so much to get there in the first place. It was only because Alya's mom worked at the hotel the convention was staying at that they even got a room there, not to mention tickets for the convention. They had snacks and food in the room to prevent having to buy food at the con.

Alya had it planned to an art. She had a plan of attack so she could get the most out of their weekend. While Marinette had tried to keep up, she had been lost in the crowd and left to her own devices. She didn't want to be a wet blanket or to throw a wrench in Alya's plan. Some friend she would be if she did that. She glanced over at Alya. Her friend was far too kind and sympathetic to her. Marinette was certainly an introvert. Alya was an extrovert if there ever was one. Alya thrived at group events like this whereas Marinette just enjoyed quiet drawing and a good book.

"Are we ready to start Miraculous fans?" someone shouted.

There was a roar of approval from the crowd of cosplayers. Alya put a hand on Marinette's shoulder, silently assuring her that no matter what Marinette chose to do; Alya would be okay with it. Marinette took a deep breath. She could do this. She was masked. No one would know it was the shy timid girl from class, if they went to school with her at all. She was just another Ladybug in the crowd. Not like anything would come of just a few pictures, right? She still felt a flutter of nerves that made her insides feel like they were churning.

"Okay! We're going to start with a group shot and branch off from there. I will be counting down because our lovely cosplayers cannot hold their poses forever and we've only got an hour here. If you have requests let me know!" the head photographer explained.

Alya cast a look to her friend. There was still time for the two of them to leave. But Marinette sighed. She put on a smile and took Alya by the hand. The two of them were then dragged into the massive congregation of cosplayers, waiting for their photos to be taken, some smiling, some serious, some smirking. Either way, everyone was apparently having fun, a small part of Marinette wanted to be a part of that.

"C'mon, we should probably get in there." She said.

* * *

Maintaining poses was a little harder than Marinette thought at first. She was off to the side when they were taking picture of all of the villains. She folded her arms across her chest and smiled as she looked at the lively expression on Alya's face. Her friend loved this. They had already exchanged contact information with the head photographer in order to assure they got shots of the photo shoot. At least Marinette would have a picture to go in her album.

"Hey there, meow are you doing?"

Marinette quickly looked up. Her eyes narrowed ever so slightly on the person next to her. A Chat Noir cosplayer had saddled up next to her. If she hadn't known that was how the character acted, she would have been very uncomfortable. That was to say, more uncomfortable than she already was. He leaned in close. All thoughts of personal space must have escaped his mind. Yet that stupid smile seemed to remain on his face.

"Can I help you?" she asked.

She was surprised by her own bold reaction. It was the mask, or that's what she was going to keep telling herself. It gave her the confidence that no one would recognize her. It was easy to fall into the personality of the comic Ladybug when she didn't have the fear that someone would out her as the shy girl. The confidence was something she could get used to. If only she could put it into her everyday life things would be perfect.

"Perhaps you can," he said. "I was looking for a Ladybug to take some pictures with. Would you help my, My Lady?"

He offered her his hand. Marinette cast a look over at Alya. Her friend had just finished with the villain shoot. With wide eyes the 'villain' made a shooing motion, encouraging Marinette to go along with Chat Noir's request. She looked back at the other cosplayer, who was imploring her from behind his mask. Another sigh later, she placed her hand in his. He seemed to perk up instantly, his eyes all but glowing in delight.

"Fine, but only a few photos, kitty cat," she said.

Only she didn't know what she agreed to. Chat had pulled her into his arms the instant she had agreed. With wide eyes she stared up at him. Her hands had found his chest. They were pressed together, not too close but enough to know he was near her. A gasp left her. All she could do was mutely stare up at Chat Noir as the shutter of a camera clicked somewhere around them. That stupid Chat had planned the whole thing, she thought in rage. He knew the moment they did something photographers would be on them in a heartbeat.

"Photos do nothing to capture your paw-sitively radiant beauty." He said.

"You're going to have to try harder than that," she replied.

She snorted and seemingly playful she pushed him away. Fans were whispering to one another, a couple looked really excited. Not to mention people were still taking pictures and Marinette was sure someone was recording something. Her best bets would be Alya. From the sidelines she could see that Alya was all but ready to scream in excitement. 1) Her favorite comic book couple was flirting in front of her even if one of them was really her best friend and 2) Marinette was breaking out of her shell in a good way.

Chat grinned, accepting her challenge with almost childish glee. Yes, Marinette realized then she had dug her grave. But she certainly wasn't going to let him get away with just posing her however he wanted! She had standards! The two of them stared each other down for a moment. Chat once again offered his hand. Like she would be foolish enough to take his hand twice! What kind of person did he take her for?

"Oh but My Lady, we have an audience. You don't want to let your fans down." He said.

"Fine but no funny stuff Chat," she said firmly.

"I wouldn't even think of it," he said.

He took her hand once again, this time placing a chaste kiss to her knuckles. Marinette had told hold herself back. He knew this was what the character did. The cosplayer was just a little too loyal to his role. Well two could play that game. Marinette rolled her eyes and took her hand back from him. He was far too openly affectionate for someone who didn't really know her.

"Chat I'm serious," she said.

"As am I," he said.

Somehow she doubted that. This all seemed like a joke to him. Did he honestly expect her to take him seriously when he had already started flirting with her? Was it because of the costume or was it because he had picked her out of the crowd? The number of Chat Noir cosplayers outnumbered the Ladybugs. There were even gender bent versions of the heroes mingled in the crowds. She felt a wave of nervousness when she realized other Chats were watching them.

"Cross my heart," he said kindly.

Marinette nodded.


	3. Stuck Chat-ting

Photo shoots were exhausting. All Marinette knew was that she had to lean into this Chat's arms, smile for the camera, dreamily look up at the man she had no idea what his name was. Those were for the romantic shots, the ones the fans requested of the final 'realization' of their feelings from the main characters. Granted they hadn't been the only one in those poses. Some of the other Ladybugs and Chats seemed to fit the relationship bill the fangirls and boys requested, making their fake chemistry more natural.

Of course there had been action shots too, recreations of scenes from the comic and eventual anime. Her Chat had gotten down on one knee and procured a rose from heaven knows where. He was offering it to her while she folded her arms across her chest and looked disinterested, which really wasn't hard to do since she wasn't interested in the Chat Noir. He was just some guy in a mask among a dozen other men in masks and tights. He would move on to the next Ladybug as soon as something better came along.

Except, he didn't. He had all but laid claim to having _her_ as his partner. He kept her close and that prevented other Chats from coming over to her. His poses with her were mostly him holding her closely, but not in a way that struck her as far too bold. He held her by her arms, not by her waist unless he asked. He never pressed flush against her, which she had seen others do but they were obviously a true couple. Her Chat - how odd it was to refer to him as such - was polite, civil and strangely gentlemanly. But he also stayed close to her, which in turn left him without any other Ladybug to partner up with.

She could insist she was not interested in him after they were drawing near to the end of the photo shoot. She had Alya to worry about and whatever panel her friend intended to drag her to after they were done with the photo shoot. She was thinking of anything but the striking emerald green eyes that were staring deeply into hers as they posed an 'almost kiss' - his breath mingled with hers, his eyes unwavering and a light smile played across his lips as his eyes drifted to a half lidded state. Her heart might have picked up a beat or two.

Okay, maybe a little bit.

But there was no way she was going to tell him that! He was arrogant enough, much like the character from the comic book series he was portraying. Telling him would only give him this satisfied smirk and she didn't think he would let her live it down for their short term relationship. She was going to keep this as short term as possible. There was no way she was going to spent the rest of her con with a complete stranger. Who did that?

That didn't change the fact that she wanted to know who was behind the mask. She was sure a lot of other cosplayers felt the same way but with the way things were going she just kept forgetting to ask. Especially when she had to keep putting some distance between her and that Chat Noir who kept hanging off of her. While he was being affectionate, nothing he had done was inappropriate. There was one gender bent Ladybug who had gotten a lap dance from a gender bent Chat Noir. It was slightly concerning. Even her Chat didn't seem too impressed with that one and he apologized on their behalf.

So when that Chat Noir wasn't hanging off of her, he was rather thoughtful. He was her only partner for the entire photo shoot, even when they went into group shots, he was always within an arms distance of her, as if he were afraid she would vanish if he wasn't. When she asked him about it, her Chat had made a joke about a Chat fight over the prettiest Ladybug. She shoved him for that one. She was not the prettiest one there but that didn't mean she didn't blush. She was never going to tell him that one. Not on her life! And she had hoped that once everything was said and done, Chat would go on, she and Alya could go off and see some more of the convention, but no… She was wrong.

When the photo shoot was over Chat Noir lingered by her side.

"So, hey you two, I've got another panel in five, you want to come with or you gonna do your own thing?" Alya asked.

"Lady Wifi?" Chat Noir chuckled. "My Lady you come some wicked company."

"Says the guy who came with Bubbler!" Alya shot back. "Don't think I didn't see you two come over together!"

Marinette made a face. It seemed Chat and Lady Wifi got along after all? This was bound to make the fans go crazy to watch that sort of interaction. It just wasn't supposed to happen. 'Heroes' were not supposed to be 'friends' with 'villains' but Marinette carefully noted their interactions. Alya had no problem conversing with Chat Noir as if they had known each other. Was it because Alya knew the character Chat was pretending to be? Because they had common ground in the series they had chosen to cosplay through?

"Er, what's the panel?" Marinette asked.

"Camera lighting," Alya replied.

Marinette shook her head, trying not to seem too quick to dismiss the panel. Certainly not something that interested her and the furthest thing from her area of expertise, but she could see why Alya wanted to go see it. She was probably going to have to take some time on her own again. The convention wasn't going how she had hoped it would, especially since she had wanted to spend time with Alya and she got stuck with a Chat instead. He looked between the two of them and smiled. He was friendly enough, slightly annoying but friendly.

"I'll be okay," she said.

"I can stay with you," Chat volunteered.

Marinette paled. Yes, she thought he was nice but she barely knew him! For all she knew, he could be one of those creepy guys who lured girls back to his room! No! No way! She didn't want that. She had heard enough con-horror stories over the internet to know she had to be cautious as a single female cosplayer. She cast Chat a wary look. She wracked her mind for an excuse to get away from the leather clad pretending hero. Unfortunately, lying had never been her strongest suit and she was fumbling to make something up.

Why would Alya leave her with this stranger? Just because he was dressed like a hero it didn't mean he was one. Yes, he had been polite but a lot of guys were until they got what they wanted. He could have just been playing them both, earn their trust and do something bad like rob them in their room, take advantage of one of them or worse. It made Marinette want to shiver in disgust and run away, far away from Chat Noir and his far too green eyes.

"You really don't have to-"

"That's a great idea! Thanks Chat! We can all meet up tonight for dinner before the ball!"

Marinette opened her mouth to protest but Alya was already starting to head off. She might have called her friend a flake if she hadn't already known what that photo panel meant to her. Alya had her reasons for going to the panel, plus, she had tried to make sure Marinette wasn't completely alone, even though she was with a stranger… Her shoulders slumped in defeat. It seemed she was going to have to handle this one on her own.

"You are okay with this, right?"

Chat looked apprehensive, like he was suddenly doubting himself. He really looked concerned whether or not Marinette wanted him there. Marinette was far too polite to say yes that she did mind, that she didn't want him anywhere near her and he should just go and mind his own business. She just gave him a tense smile. This was going to be a very, very long weekend if things kept going the way they were.

* * *

Marinette spent the better part of an hour, trying to get away from the Chat Noir cosplayer. Except no matter what she did or where she went, he trailed behind her like a lost kitten. There was an incident involving a bathroom. She had ducked in, hoping to wait him out, but when she didn't return, he had pleaded to another female cosplayer to go in and check on her. At least he was too polite to go into the restroom himself. He was worried when she sighed in defeat and returned to his side, asking her a bunch of questions, like did she need to go lay down, did she need water, was she hungry? It would have been endearing if she hadn't found him so annoying.

"Why are you still following me around?" she finally asked.

"Do you not want me to?"

She turned to look at him, starting at the almost crushed look on his face. Was it just her or were even his ears drooping slightly? He looked very much like a scolded kitten. She swallowed thickly, fumbling to recollect her thoughts and restart her mind. Being that sad and pathetic should be a crime in itself. He looked down and started playing with his belt/tail. She had to quickly look away or else she would have instantly changed her mind about everything. _Stay strong Ladybug_ , she told herself. _Strong will. Strong will. Strong will._

"I asked first," she said.

"I don't have anyone else to be with." Chat admitted, "My friend came with me but after the photo shoot he went to the arcade."

Marinette felt a slight wave of disappointment. So he was lonely. He had been trying to keep her company because the both of them had been abandoned by their friends in favor of other panels and other amenities the convention had. She kind of had been lonely too. Now she felt bad about trying to ditch him earlier. She just didn't know him, didn't think she could trust him. He had latched onto her, because they were from the same series and it gave him a sense of familiarity. With being around someone like that there came a sense of belonging. She couldn't deny him that. Not when he had been so concerned about her health the way he had been.

"You already saw Al – Lady Wifi ditched me for her photo shoot panel."

"Aw, man, that would have been great if we got the four of us together!" Chat complained.

"Yeah… It would have." She confirmed.

"There's always tonight?"

Marinette awkwardly rubbed her arm. Alya had promised to meet up with this guy for dinner before the ball. Marinette didn't think she was up for dancing with anyone at the ball. She was clumsy and she had never danced before. Her worst fear was making herself look bad in front of a large group. Mask or not, she was terrified someone would recognize her and call her out at the ball. She didn't think she could handle that sort of pressure. It would be better for everyone if she just stayed in the room and watched some TV or something. She could always read?

"Er, yeah."

"What do you mean by that?"

Marinette blushed. So far, she wasn't impressed by the convention. Yes, there were lots of costumes but Halloween had that too. Yeah, the people were nice, 'Casey' and Chat had been decent company but they were no Alya. She wanted her friend with her but she wasn't getting that as long as there were panels that Alya wanted to go to that Marinette did not. It was a bit of a shame they had already bought tickets, otherwise Marinette might have gone home early. So she was stuck where she was. She had a hotel room in the convention center. She had a three day ticket and a multitude of costumes that went along with it.

"This is… kind of a trial convention for me. I'm not sure if I'm going to the ball tonight."

Chat's eyes went wide with wonder. It was almost like that had not thought had not even registered to him before. She wondered if this would change his opinion on whether or not he wanted to continue hanging out with her or not. Perhaps that was just the push he needed to head off on his own, leave boring plain Marinette there. Except he didn't see her as Marinette, he saw her as Ladybug. He called her Ladybug. He never asked for her name but he had gotten her to open up quicker than most people had.

"Wait, you've never been to a convention before?" he asked.

She shook her head, growing more embarrassed than she already was. She couldn't meet his eyes, instead finding more interest in his shoes. They were rather skillfully made. She wanted to ask if he had them commissioned or if he made them himself. Her rather nerdy fashion side was going to start showing if she stayed around him much longer because she had so many questions for his costume. And if that wasn't his only costume she would be surprised. Some people were talking about changing costumes multiple times!

"Then my Lady, please allow me to escort you for the duration of your stay," Chat requested.

He made a show of an extravagant bow, holding out his hand to her. Marinette hesitated. Green eyes met hers and she knew it was over. Chat had won. She would be spending the rest of her weekend with him and yet, she did not find herself too disappointed with that. He gave her a triumphant smile when she place her hand in his, trying not to focus on how well their gloved hands seemed to fit together.


	4. Dealer's Room

Chat insisted that she absolutely had to go to the Dealer's Room. It still sounded shady to her. It sounded like a drug den rather than a sale room, very sketchy. And after the photo shoot, she had tried so hard to get away from Chat that she didn't get to go in, or at least hadn't thought to. Though once they were inside, she realized this would have been the perfect place to lose him. At least that it had been until he took a hold of her hand with a carefree smile and began to lead her down the aisles.

"So this is where all the vendors sell their stuff," Chat explained. "All the newest merchandise."

"You're really into this, aren't you?"

"Well yeah! That's why I come every year!" he laughed.

She smiled. Even she had to admit, this was really cool. Chat was rather enthusiastic about showing her around. His energetic step was easy to fall into and he didn't drag her along like Alya did. He set the pace, something Marinette could follow with ease. They passed by a booth with live weapons, another with t-shirt, another with little figurines, one with plush animals. The vendors had thought of everything any good die hard fan could possibly want and more. Marinette even saw things she hadn't thought she would want but did after seeing them - like anime sound tracks and cute little dolls.

Not to mention they had costume booths. She had made all of hers, but seeing all of the other products on the racks brought out a new sort of inspiration in her. Besides, she could always admire someone else's work because it said a lot about that person as an artist. She longed for her sketch pad to put the new ideas to paper. Some of them would have helped with her other costumes that she had made for the ball and for the rave. She did not notice the adoring look that her companion gave her as she fussed over the fabrics as if trying to memorize a made up pattern to memory.

"You could always get one for tonight," Chat said.

"Tonight?" she asked.

"My Lady, the first night of the convention there is always a formal ball." Chat explained. "The second night has a rave."

Marinette nodded in understanding. She certainly did not have the money to purchase a new outfit. She wracked her mind for anything she had that could fit the theme of the ball. But then she froze. She was already considering going to the ball with him. That alone should spike red flags in her mind but it didn't. She _wanted_ to go with Chat Noir. The thought alone made her blush a little, but it was concealed by the mask. She could already imagine him trying to whisk her away to the dance floor.

Even if she hadn't already made a dress, as nice as all of these costumes were, she could not drop that much on a single outfit. She quickly put the dress she had in her hands back on the rack. There was no way she could justify that sort of expense to her parents. She could not tell them she blew all of her money on a dress, not when she and Alya had saved allowance for this convention for six months! Marinette had even pulled extra shifts at her parent's bakery for extra cash.

However, the rave was another story. She was _not_ going. Not _ever_! She probably would not touch the rave with a ten foot pole. It was not her scene. Loud music, bodies pressed against each other, sweating, and inappropriate touching. No. But they would at least be fun to show up to and say she went, she supposed. Plus, the costume she made for that was horrifically embarrassing, especially if Chat saw her in it. That was not going to happen.

"I already made a dress." She said.

"You made your costume?" Chat asked in surprise. "You're as talented as you are beautiful!"

Now Marinette truly blushed. She sent him a looked that she hoped looked withering. Hard to do when her face felt like a ripened tomato. She took a shaky breath and looked away from him. The fabric was nice, she thought to herself to distract from her blush. What she didn't realize was that Chat was being honest. He truly thought her costume was amazing, just as much as she was. He was completely taken back by the fashion designer and cosplayer by his side and counting himself luckier as every second passed because he got to meet up with her.

"I'm just saying… It's not as easy as it looks to make your costumes, my Lady. I had mine commissioned." Chat explained. "I don't have the time to make my own… I just have the money to have someone else do it for me."

He sounded rather disappointed that he did not have the time to make his own costumes. The longing struck a chord in Marinette's heart. There was always something special about a costume you had worked on yourself, she supposed. Each one of hers was a labor of love. Marinette had slaved away on every design she had ever put any effort into. She had barely gotten it done in time because she had made both hers and Alya's Lady Wifi costume. The end result was completely worth it when she saw the look on her friend's face. Her late nights, needle pricked fingers and tired eyes from working late into the night were worthy sacrifices if she got to see that look on her friend's face again.

"I really don't know if I'm going to feel up for a ball. Besides, I can't dance."

"I've heard I make a purr-fect teacher, if you would let me."

Marinette shook her head vigorously. Not to deny the offer, but to shake the notion of dancing with Chat. Why did that suddenly sound so appealing? She liked Adrien from school, not the sweet anime-obsessed dork. She knew she was already developing a soft spot once he admitted that his friend was busy too and he had expressed concern that she had not wanted him around. She was even groaning less and less over every pun he cracked, which she wondered if that should be considered a good sign or a bad one. Chat sighed. He held up his hands in defeat.

"Fine, I understand. Let's go look at something else then," he said.

He took her hand once again. They moved on to the next booth. This one had bookshelves, lined with paperback novels. She could feel Chat's eyes on her, watching her every move so she pretended to look interested in the books. She was pretty sure it was the colored contacts that he wore that made her feel so unnerved. No one's eyes could be _that_ green. _Except Adrien's_ , her mind supplied. She bit the inside of her cheek, of course her mind jumped to him. There was no one that Chat Noir could be so different from. She picked up the first thing that she could find to get her mind off Adrien and Chat.

A manga.

Chat quickly dropped her hand and snatched the book away from her, flipping it over with wide eyed disbelief. Marinette paused, wondering if she hadn't picked up a hentai manga or something with the way he was reacting, but then he flashed her a million watt smile. Marinette wasn't sure what she had done but she would be lying if she said that smile of his wasn't endearing. Was it the cat ears that made him look sweet and innocent? She was all but becoming a pushover.

"My Lady," he said almost reverently. "You have cat to be kitten me right now! I've been looking for this for months! I haven't been able to find it!"

A double pun. There was that urge to groan again. It had almost become a reflex habit by this point and she had only been with the guy for a few hours! She wondered with dread whether or not he practiced these in real life or if he had just been saving these for the convention with a baited breath. Either was possible. Chat's puns would likely be the death of her or at the very least, the cause of a serious headache.

"Oh, then you should get it," she said.

"But… you grabbed it first." He said.

"Chat, I haven't read that series yet."

Chat flashed her a smile. There was that familiar fluttering in her chest. All of this over a book. She was going to lose her mind if he kept looking at her like she was the best thing he had ever seen in his life. She was afraid she would never see that look on anyone's face again. Maybe it would have been better to ditch him, play hooky in her hotel room and hide away for the rest of the convention, never to leave her hotel room until the con was over. They had cable and wifi. She would be fine.

"You really are my lucky charm," he told her.

Marinette blushed. She quickly looked back to the shelves. Heaven help her if her mask was slightly askew and he realized the effect he was having on her. What was with her today? A few well-placed words and this Chat was already pulling the rug out beneath her feet. _My Lady_ this and _My Lady_ that didn't help make matters better. Her heart began to race every time he said that. Did he know? It was something the comic book hero did, but he was no comic book hero. He was a teenage boy who had donned a mask and black leather, which under normal circumstances would make people question his sanity.

"If you'd like, you can borrow my first copy?" he offered.

"We'll see, Kitty."

That would require meeting him outside of the convention center, as two normal teenagers. Marinette had expected a once off. Meet once and never meet again. Chat wouldn't like her outside of the mask. She had no one but Alya at school. This cosplayer would get bored if he knew the real identity behind this Ladybug mask. He would be disappointed with who was left. Everyone was… She didn't want to be another disappointment to anyone.

"Can you help me see if they have any more?" he asked.

Marinette nodded. She supposed she could help. She was the one who found the one he was holding. The two perused the shelves, bumping together in the middle. Marinette had a small stack and so did Chat Noir. Chat grinned and looked through her stack, putting back the ones he already had. He had nearly half a dozen by the end. He was absolutely set on buying all of them.

"Thank you," he said.

The sincerity in his voice took Marinette by surprise. She didn't get to respond before he dashed over to the register and paid for his goods. She couldn't help the softening smile that crossed her lips. He really was sweet. No one was around to point out the dopey smile that she was wearing, even after Chat rejoined her, happily holding the bag that had his precious manga in them. Her companion was pleased with their find.

* * *

Several stalls later, Marinette found a cute little doll. It was from the Ladybug series of the little kwami that followed Ladybug around. The Tikki doll was sweet. It fit in the palm of her hands just perfectly. Chat smiled and he held up a matching doll – Plagg – the kwami that followed Chat Noir. They were trash in the Miraculous fandom because the two of them broke and bought the little dolls. She was rather surprised Chat bought Plagg because it was a doll.

"No way, I get one every year. Well obviously not this one exactly but something from a show I like." Chat explained.

"Really? But it's a doll… I thought you would be more into the action figures of the busty girls."

"Now those are just paw-ful."

Chat made a face. He looked offended that she would even suggest such a thing and her respect for him grew. He folded his arms across his chest and gave a haughty huff. Marinette had to swallow back a giggle that nearly burst from her chest. This Chat was going to be the death of her poor heart. She would have expected a guy to like the busty little figurines granted some parents might not be so keen on having their children display such scantily clad women. Maybe Chat's parents were like that.

"What's so funny?" he asked.

"It's nothing," she assured him.


	5. Artist's Alley and Dinner

Navigating through the Dealer's Room had been difficult. Not to mention people still stopped the duo for pictures, compliments on costumes and just chatting. Oh dear, now Marinette was doing it too. Chat was a bad influence on her it would seem. If she started using puns by the end of the night, she was going to hit that stupid Chat. It would be all his fault. There was nothing he could say or do to change her mind on that fact.

The Dealer's Room had been difficult to walk through. Chat and Marinette had shopped here and there, but Chat told her the best day to go back was Sunday – the sale day because the vendors were trying to get rid of their wares and not go home with so much but he also said that vendors could change so if you saw something you absolutely wanted the first time around you better get it because it might not be there tomorrow.

"Let's go to the Artist's Alley," Chat said once they were free of the crowds of the Dealer's Room

"What's there?" Marinette asked.

"Art," Chat said simply. "Artists make stuff for different fandoms and stuff. They could even sell their own original comic book series or their own clothing line… Or well, it's different every time."

Marinette smiled. Art was something she could get behind. As a fashion student, she was falling in love with the costumes. She wouldn't tell Alya that she had been won over just yet but she was warming up to the idea of coming to more conventions. As a cosplayer, she was worried she was falling for the strange boy who was leading her around. She had yet to ask his name. It slipped her mind to ask every single time. They had been so distracted by pictures, selfies, shopping and talking that they had just forgotten.

"Lead the way!" Marinette directed.

"As you wish, my Lady," Chat said.

Chat laced his arm with hers and led her to the Artist's Alley, which was really just one room over. Marinette wanted to tell him that holding her hand was unnecessary but she found she was rather enjoying the contact. It wasn't every day she got to have a cute guy giving her attention. Chat meant nothing by it. He was just following what his character would do, including openly staring at her when her jaw dropped upon seeing the Artist's Alley, with a pleased smirk on his face. A smirk, that if she had been paying attention, she would have told him to stop if she had been paying better attention.

Yes, Artist's Alley was exactly what Marinette wanted to see. There were so many booths of so many creative people her head was spinning. She didn't know where to start first. She could have spent the whole day there if Chat would have let her. Instead, Chat carefully guided her to the nearest one. He smiled and looked over at her from the side.

"We've got all day," he assured her.

She felt a sudden knot in her throat when she swallowed. He would have sacrificed his whole con there. She felt pressed to ask for his name, but her nerves won over her. She couldn't ask for his name now. They had already been around each other for a solid five hours. It would be so weird to ask now! She quickly averted her eyes. The first stand they had approached was a jewelry stand, glittering bobbles and shiny charms and chains were carefully arranged on shelves.

"Let me know if you see anything you like," the vendor said.

The duo nodded. Together they perused the tables, one by one, discussing the wares, occasionally striking up a conversation with a vendor and posing for a photo. Marinette was getting better at posing with Chat, mostly it was disinterested shots but occasionally her partner would switch things up. He would adoringly run a gloved hand through her hair and she would smile up at him, much to the delight of the photographers. After all, it was only 'their OTP' and their 'ship' doing whatever it was they were supposed to be doing? The terms confused Marinette but they made Chat grin.

What made things a little uncomfortable was that Chat had yet to drop the whole character persona. He was still flirting with her. She laughed, waved him aside and replied with some witty remark but some of them had her blushing beneath her mask. A part of her was fearful he knew the reactions he was drawing from her. The slow, subtle way he was worming his way under her skin. There was no way she would tell Alya that she had even started to like this guy! Neither of them would let her live it down.

* * *

After the duo left the artist's alley, Marinette finally realized she had bought a little more than she had anticipated. Two bulging bags later, she realized her con money was now gone money. She had very little left, probably enough to get food but that was it. She blushed a little. Chat, it seemed, had no problems with finances because he didn't even blink about the prices. If he wanted something, he got it right then and there.

"Chat, I have to go to my room to drop this stuff off." She told him.

"That's a good idea. I should probably do the same," he said sheepishly. "So… meet back here? We are doing dinner with Lady Wifi, right?"

Marinette blinked, her mind struggling to catch up with her thought process for a moment as she stared in confusion but then it dawned on her. Lady Wifi – oh! Alya! He meant Alya. It was getting difficult keeping track of who was who. Marinette then realized that she still didn't know Chat's name. It would be weird to ask now. She had been with him _all_ day. He would think she was weird if she asked. She couldn't remember whether or not she gave him her name.

"Right! If you can get a hold of Bubbler, we can get a group shot." Marinette said.

What was she thinking? She thought she wanted to get away from this guy and his friends. Granted, Alya was the one who invited him to dinner but she was the one who invited Bubbler, mostly because she didn't want Chat to feel like a third wheel. Besides, maybe this Bubbler was a good person even if he did play a 'bad guy'. Alya was playing a villain and she was one of the nicest people Marinette knew.

"Should we go up together?" Chat asked.

"Only if you don't want to get separated."

Now words were just spilling from her lips without her will. But with the way that Chat smiled at her she figured it was worth it. She knew at this point she was in over her head. Especially with the way that smile of his was beginning to have unintended side effects on her heart. Her pulse had picked up a beat and she could hear it pounding in her ears. Not good. Certainly not good.

"After you, my Lady," he said, gesturing to the elevator.

He hit the button and the two of them waited for it to arrive on their floor. Floor 11. Marinette blinked. That was her floor and apparently Chat's as well. Chat had hit no other button. They were sharing a floor. They were even closer than she had thought. She wasn't sure if it was butterflies in her stomach or not. She took another deep breath, hoping it went unnoticed by the blond. He was starting to make her nervous. She could easily play it off. The mask gave her confidence enough to.

After dumping her things in her room and meeting Chat at the elevator, they rode back down, trying to think of something to do to pass more time. Time with Chat seemed to fly past her, so much so that she was startled by the ringing of her phone. She quickly pulled it out of her small pouch and to her surprise it was Alya. She gestured for Chat to be quiet, which really did nothing because the artist's alley was bustling with people and everyone was extremely loud, but she then cupped the phone around her ear so she could hear Alya better.

"Alya? What's up?"

"Hey girl, where are you? We're supposed to meet for dinner? Your buddy Chat's friend showed up but neither of you are here!"

"Right! We're right on our way," Marinette said, trying to cover the blunder of the two supposed super heroes.

She could see Chat looking at her just as grimly. The two of them had completely lost track of time. Not to mention Chat's friend got there before they did! Having texted Bubbler before they went to put their things way in their rooms to join them, it was kind of embarrassing to completely forget the dinner they promised their best friends. Marinette took a deep breath. This was fixable. They could fix this. Dinner could still be saved but she would have to think fast. If they got their fast enough they could easily say they weren't distracted.

"Tell you what, there's this photo shoot blocking us in a hallway, we're going to have to go around. But if you get a table we'll be right there!"

"We'll be waiting," Alya said before hanging up.

Marinette made a face. She frantically looked over at Chat. He looked equally distressed. They couldn't let their other friends down, but he was smiling. He probably didn't regret being a little late to meet with their friends for dinner, but if they wanted to save themselves a lecture, they were going to have to be quick about it. At least they had stuck to the convention buddy system and had someone with them at all times.

"We got to get through this crowd!" Marinette said.

"Follow me!"

Before she could respond, Chat once again grabbed her hand. It seemed he was particularly fond of doing it. And then they were off, dodging and weaving through the crowds as fast as they could really speed walk since running normally got you yelled at by the staff. Chat kept his eyes ahead. He seemed particularly focused on getting them out of there. Marinette blushed. If the context had been different, she could have assumed the duo was on a mission and Chat was trying to assure her safety. She shook that thought away quickly.

They broke out of the artist's alley and into the hallway. Marinette would deny the smile that had spread across her face fervently if Chat had pointed it out, except that he was wearing the same grin. With another tug, he led her down a flight of stairs and around another photoshoot – though they were polite enough to not take up the entire hallway. Panting but exhilarated, they found Bubbler and Lady Wifi seated at a table. They were saving seats by propping their feet up on the chairs and glaring off anyone who walked up to ask to take said seats.

Marinette giggled a little breathlessly. She took a deep breath, took her hand back from Chat and smoothed back her hair so it didn't look like they just made a quarter mile sprint across the convention center. Chat chuckled and cleared his throat. Once he caught her attention, he bowed, gesturing for her to go first. She could have poked fun at him for that, telling him that he was sending her to the 'slaughter' first. However, Alya was no Lady Wifi. His friend Bubbler was no villain either. Alya was waving when she spotted them. Marinette was all smiles and grace as she joined her friend.

"Sorry about that." Marinette said sincerely, "We just couldn't get around that photoshoot."

That was her story and she was sticking to it. Alya would never let her live it down if she said Chat had distracted her so much she completely forgot. Chat would be rather smug with himself too if Alya started to tease her around him. So beating two birds with one stone, she avoided the conversation entirely. She took another deep breath to help her nerves. Her heart was still racing from their jaunt through the convention center.

"Don't worry about it!" Bubbler said, waving her off. "It happens. We're on no real set schedule."

"So… Should we order something?" Chat questioned.

"No need. I put in an order for a pizza. Figured we could all pitch in. Is that okay? You aren't lactose intolerant or something, right?" Alya asked Chat.

Chat grinned back at Alya. Maybe it was just the mask and ears but he looked very much like a smug cat that had gotten its way. Marinette was interested to see how the two would interact with one another, since Chat had whisked her away (with Alya's permission but the notion remained). She wanted to see if he would get along with Alya because if he did not, she would drop him faster than Ladybug dropped him in the comics.

"Now that would be a _cat_ -astrophe. A cat that didn't like milk?" Chat laughed.

"Dude, you've seriously been doing that all day?" Bubbler complained. "Man, I'm so sorry about this guy. I can't take him anywhere."

Marinette felt herself relaxing. So far so good. Perhaps this was a good thing. She could find a new friend in Chat and Bubbler, one who liked the same things as she and Alya did. To ease the mood a little more she felt a smirk spread across her features. Bubbler didn't like Chat's puns? Well she happened to enjoy them, not that she would say that aloud. Chat would take too much pride in it. He would become unbearable to be around.

"I didn't know they _bug_ -ged you."

Chat looked at her so quickly she was sure he just gave himself whiplash but there was no denying the look of absolute delight since Marinette had joined in on his little pun game. He had been trying all day to get her to use a few of her own. His smile was comparable to an LED light bulb and for a moment she thought he would crack his face if he smiled any wider. Bubbler, however, was not as impressed. The other teen groaned, hiding his face in his hands and shaking his head in absolute dismay.

"Great. It's contagious."


	6. Jitter-Bug

There was a knock at her door. After dinner, she and Alya parted ways with Chat Noir and Bubbler. She had just gotten out of her costume but still hadn't taken her mask off yet. She walked to the door and opened it. There was no one outside, just a vase of flowers. These were not just any flowers though. Someone had sent her red roses. Even more concerned than before she knelt down and picked it up. She looked around. There was no one in the hall either. No delivery man, no sign of who it was from, aside from a note attached to it. She had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.

 _My dearest Ladybug,_

 _I'll be your Prince Charming if you'll be my Cinderella._

 _I will pick you up at 7._

 _Chat_

Marinette went pale. She just felt guilty that Chat had gone out of his way to buy them for her! Such a stubborn man! She hadn't wanted to go to the ball and now he was giving her no way to say no kindly, or at least not with a good conscious. She sighed and set the flowers down on the nightstand next to her bed. She gently traced a hand over the petals. Red roses… Those meant love. Perhaps he was just getting what was on sale. Yeah, that was it, she assured herself. Red roses were on sale and he bought some. He didn't really love her! It was way too soon for him to love her! They didn't even know each other's names.

"Chat Noir…" she muttered.

She was not sure if she was angry or touched by the gesture. No one had ever sent her flowers before. But roses of all things? She was almost afraid to ask him about it. Was he trying to romance her and then forget about her after he got with her? She wasn't an easy mark. Why was this so difficult? She loved Adrien! The boy she had been over the moon about for two years! Though when she touched her face, she could feel how hot the skin was. Chat was insufferable!

"Who was that?"

Marinette quickly tried to stuff the letter away, out of sight of her friend but it was too late. Alya had seen the letter as well as the roses. There was no other conclusion to draw from red roses and a letter other than a secret admirer or some other romantic was a loud shout from her technologically advanced friend. Alya raced around the side of the bed. Marinette was glad the roses had already been set aside because she feared a struggle would ensue.

"Oh my gosh! Who sent you roses?" Alya demanded.

"No one!" Marinette cried frantically.

Alya grabbed Marinette's wrists, trying to pry her fingers off of the letter that was now being smashed between the two of them. Marinette was far too embarrassed by what Chat had written to show Alya. She would never let it go! His Cinderella and Prince Charming? How cheesy could someone get? Especially with how the story went, Marinette was going to make sure her shoes stayed on regardless if she did end up going to the ball at all.

"Mari! You can't not tell me! Someone found out our room number to give you roses!" Alya protested. "Who is he?"

"I don't know!"

Alya's look was nothing if not skeptical. The rise of her brow was a clear indication, not to mention the look on her face. The expression all but screamed _do you really expect me to believe that_? However, it was the truth. She both knew and didn't know who sent her the roses. Marinette knew nothing about the Chat Noir whom she had spent her day with. He was a nice wonderful person. He made her laugh even if he was an enormous dork. He was charming and thoughtful. He had stayed with her the entire day, even up until dinner.

"You don't know who sent you roses? Was it signed?"

"It was but it was signed Chat…" Marinette said. "I think it was the Chat I was with today but… I don't know his name."

Alya stopped trying to seize the letter, once she picked up on the rather dejected tone of Marinette's voice. She carefully sat down next to Marinette. Marinette had ducked her head. Her bangs had fallen in her face and she clutched the little note so tightly her knuckles were turning white. Her shoulders slumped. Her eyes found the letter again, slightly crinkled, but still legible. Alya leaned forward, trying to meet Marinette's eyes, locking gazes between the two of them.

"Marinette?"

"I like Adrien," Marinette blurted out.

"Yeah, I know that." Alya said slowly. "What's this all about?"

Marinette sighed. Never before had she felt so conflicted. She couldn't like two people. She had just met one of them. She had been pursuing and failing to talk to Adrien for years. She can't just move past him like she hadn't been, especially for some nameless cosplayer! She was trying to keep Chat at a distance but he was working his way past every wall and every barricade she tried to put around herself. She had thought she accidentally adopted an alley cat. Instead it was the other way around, the alley cat adopted her. He had all but laid claim to stay by her side throughout the rest of the event.

"It's Chat Noir…"

"The Chat from today?"

"I don't know any other Chat who knew I was going to the ball tonight."

"You're going because he asked you to?" Alya asked.

Marinette felt a pang of guilt. Alya had been trying for the last hour to coax Marinette into going. The poor fashion designer was finally caving because the two of them wanted her to go so badly – badly enough that one was going to stay with her and the other bought her roses… Now everyone was going, all because of roses and a stupid love letter. _It's not a love letter, it's just a polite request to go to a formal dance_ , she thought, because no she was not interested in Chat that way. Not a chance in Hell.

"It's not just because of him… You really wanted to go too…" Marinette protested.

Alya smiled. Her sweet, kind best friend who was now guilt ridden because a boy managed to convince her to go to a ball over her best friend. She almost laughed if Marinette had not looked so distressed. Alya took Marinette's hands in her own and gave them a reassuring squeeze. This convention was all about the two of them getting out, having fun, and for Marinette's sake, meeting new people. Marinette was doing just that so Alya could not fault her. It was her own fault for accidentally losing her in the first place but as long as Marinette was enjoying herself, then the convention was a success in her book.

"Mari, I want you to have fun." Alya said honestly, "Just focus on that for now. Maybe it's just a crush. Maybe you really do like him. You won't know until you spend more time around him and figure it out yourself."

Marinette nodded miserably. She wished that feelings were much easier to figure out than that but what could she do?

* * *

Adrien was screwed. No beyond screwed. He had no idea how to get himself out of this one. Worst of all, some sick part of him was actually enjoying his newfound suffering. He was falling for his mysterious Ladybug. Falling harder than he had ever thought possible. And he should have kicked himself every single time he forgot to ask her name but he had been so caught up in calling her _his_ Lady that it just slipped his mind. He was just so lucky to have even found a Ladybug cosplayer to partner with.

He realized that at first he made her uncomfortable. He just wanted to make her first con experience a good one. And really, he wasn't the worst Chat Noir she could have partnered with. There were a few who drew the line in the sand and crossed it with a giant leap of glee. He had stuck close to her to protect her from those a little less than savory Chats. He hadn't intended for feelings to get involved with their interactions. He just wanted to keep her safe but when she accepted his invitation to join him for the ball, nothing could have caused him more delight.

So naturally, he all but ran to the artist's alley, looking for a gift for her. Because it would be rude to show up without a gift, right? He found a necklace, something black and red – Ladybug colors – a rose choker on a black velvet collar. It wasn't until Nino pointed out that Adrien was treating this like a date did the model freeze in something akin to horror. He _was_ treating it like a date. His _first_ date and he didn't even know her name.

"Take the necklace back tomorrow and let her down easy," Nino said.

Ah, Nino, the voice of reason in Adrien's conundrum. The other cosplayer sat down beside the partially leather clad mock hero, at least he was trying to take this seriously despite his best friend wearing leather and cat ears but at least he had taken off that mask of his. The choker that Adrien bought was clenched tightly in a black gloved hand. His head rested in his free hand as he blankly stared at the floor, trying to gather his reeling thoughts.

"How do I do that?"

"Be honest. Tell her how you feel."

Adrien rolled his eyes, as if he hadn't already though of that one himself. Thanks for nothing, Nino. Adrien was still trying to figure out _what_ he felt for Ladybug. She had been shy at first, timid and uncertain but as soon as he saddled up to her, she challenged him, met his own challenges with grace and wit. Not to mention how passionate she was about some of her hobbies. He could see her eyes twinkling when they saw the dresses in the two shopping areas, a burning desire to make something similar or better.

She was kind. Patiently helping him look for things he liked and she had a beautiful smile that nearly knocked him off his feet every time he managed to do it. She had slowly warmed up to him and kept him around even though she had certainly not been keen on it in the first place. It may have been her first con but she fell into the poses perfectly with his. A few times he had tried romantic, but she had – in Ladybug fashion brushed him off. But oh, the times she actually fell in line with a couple's pose. It took everything he had not to sing from delight.

"That won't work."

"Why not?"

Adrien sighed. There were lots of reasons it wouldn't work. What if she liked him better as Chat than as Adrien? What if she only liked him as Adrien the model and not Chat Noir the cosplayer? What if she hated him for not telling her sooner? Of course his mind was jumping to the worst conclusions. He had always been afraid at conventions to reveal himself. His father thoroughly disapproved of the whole cosplay thing. He had only gotten to go because his character wore a mask and he would not take it off for the duration of the convention. That had been his father's stipulation and Adrien was not about to throw his cosplay breaks away for just anyone.

"If I tell her how I feel she'll think I want to date her."

Now it was Nino's turn to look confused. The necklace was evidence enough that Adrien was head over heels for the girl and the tech-loving teen was not about to even bring up the roses that Adrien sent to _his_ Ladybug's room. Make it a good con for her, Adrien said, yeah right, more like try to romance her off her feet so that both of them were free falling in their adoration for one another. Adrien was pulling out all the stops to impress some nameless cosplayer. Nino didn't even know the girl and he was semi-impressed since Adrien had never really shown any interest in anyone before.

"Why would she think that?"

"Because I want to date her."

"Dude, you just met her!"

If that wasn't a shock to Nino's system, he didn't know what was. At least Adrien had said like and not love. One day was far too early to save love and Nino didn't want to break it to his best friend that this was no Disney romance where true love was found in a day.

"I know!" Adrien groaned.

* * *

"So what are you going to do about this?" Alya asked.

"I don't know!" Marinette sighed as she threw herself back over the side of the bed.

She could feel the letter in her hands, all but burning against her skin. This time, she didn't fight back as Alya plucked the letter from her hands. She was too mortified by her own discover to really do anything about it. She wearily glanced up at the other girl, silently taking in the expressions that flickered over Alya's face. She was good at keeping her emotions in check. Alya nonchalantly waved the letter aside and placed it next to the roses that came with it.

"Well, at least he signs his cards. Even if it isn't really his name." Alya said.

Marinette shot her a dirty look, much to Alya's amusement. So Marinette had a bad habit of forgetting to sign her cards, her bad. That didn't mean Alya had to bring it up every single time a card, letter or present was involved. It was an old joke, beaten to death with a stick. It did not help that every incident had been directly involved with Adrien himself. It was like she was cursed to never be able to tell him how she felt about him. And now with Chat Noir getting in the way, she was feeling the pressure.

"Fight me." Marinette retorted.

"Sorry sweetie. We'd both know I'd win." Alya laughed.

"Last I checked I was the hero, you were the villain. Heroes always win."

"You're not the real Ladybug," Alya replied.

Marinette wishes she could be. Ladybug was so brave and she always knew what to do, whether in a battle or for matters of the heart.


	7. Care to Dance?

Chat was nothing if not punctual. He knocked on her door promptly at 7. Marinette's heart all but quivered in her chest as she leaned against the door, trying to gather her nerves. Alya, that awful excuse for her best friend, had ditched her, saying something about going early. Marinette was left alone to fend off any attachments that Chat may have construed between the two of them, not that she would mind. No! Adrien. She liked Adrien. She couldn't like two guys! That was… unfair to both of them. She would have to tell Chat that there was someone else in her life.

With a shaky breath, she drew open the door. Chat stood, waiting for her. He had been swaying back and forth on the balls of his feet looking rather anxious as she had taken a while to get to the door. Marinette couldn't help but smile since it seemed she wasn't the only one nervous about going to the formal. A shy smile lined the usually confident expression that the other cosplayer wore. He sheepishly scratched the back of his neck.

"For a second I thought you had left without me," he admitted.

"I couldn't." she said.

He nodded, seeming to relax a little. She did not notice but he had let out a sigh of relief upon seeing her. Marinette picked up her purse, slipped her room key inside and slung her badge from around her neck. Apparently, it was like a panel. You could not get into the formal without your badge. Heaven forbid she make Chat take her back up to her room so they could go get it. Her hand clutched the little piece of plastic, assuring herself that yes, it was there and yes she did not forget it.

"You look beautiful."

Now she blushed. Her dress was in all Ladybug fashion – at Alya's request. It was a 1920s flapper dress in red with black polka dots. She of course kept her mask. There was no way she was going out without it! The material sparkled and shimmered beneath the light. Much to her surprise, Chat had altered his costume as well. He had a modest suit that was tailored to fit him like a glove. It was still themed behind the super hero, particularly since he had a green kerchief with a black paw in the breast pocket of his jacket. His vest was a matching green color. He had forgone the need for a tie and left the top buttons popped.

"I guess you clean up nicely alley cat," she replied.

 _That's it._ _Deflect everything Marinette_ , she thought sarcastically. Ladybug's persona made it too easy to do just that. But Chat was one to roll with the punches it seemed. His grin became far more confident. He stood straighter. Marinette's heart nearly stopped. She took another deep breath to calm her nerves. It seemed this was going to be a long night. But she could not help it! His posture was like that of a model!

"One tries one's best for an a-mew-sing lady like yourself." Chat said.

Marinette giggled. At least Bubbler was not there to listen to the two of them pun-off.

 _ **BREAK**_

She was in heaven. There were so many wonderful costumes, all of them posing as a challenge to her more creative side, to improve upon her own costume. She and Chat stood off to the side, watching as couples danced by them, laughing and talking. This was far more relaxed than she thought it was going to be. She was far too nervous to even entertain the idea of dancing just yet and Chat, bless him, had been patient enough to ask once she looked relaxed.

"My Lady, would you have this dance with me?" Chat asked.

Marinette turned to him. He had bowed deeply, offering her his gloved hand. Green eyes sparkled from behind the mask. That kind, patient smile of his was heartwarming. The way he was looking at her sent her heart racing. It was like she was the only one in the room, or the only one in the room that mattered. It was certainly shiver inducing but the faux Ladybug staved off the urge. Marinette was about to place her hand in his. It surprised her how easy it was to do that.

"Oh my gosh! Chat Noir!"

Someone glomped Chat from behind. To his credit, the faux superhero managed to stand his ground and keep himself and this new person from toppling to the ground. Chat's hand accidentally bumped into Marinette's stomach but she grabbed his forearm and helped him keep upright. There was a giggling figure all but glued to Chat's back. A look of alarm had been shared between the duo as Chat tried to turn around to look at the girl who had all but attacked him.

It was a blonde Ladybug in a Victorian era dress.

Marinette felt a wave of annoyance flood through her. She and Chat were talking before this hyper primadonna interrupted. Her anger only spiked when the girl shot her a smug look. The blonde Ladybug knew this was annoying her. If only Marinette's costume were truly real, then she would teach that boy stealing bimbo what for. She almost slapped herself for that thought. Chat was not hers. One day did not make him hers. He was his own person. He did not need her fighting his battles for him, even if they were just other girls.

"You just have to dance with me!" the blonde insisted.

"Actually, my friend and I were going to-"

"If you were going to you would have done it by now. I know you've just been standing over here this whole time!" the girl insisted.

That was a bit creepy. She had been watching them, like she had been scoping them out or something. If only she had asked Chat to dance with her… This harpy would have never have interfered. This protective streak was slightly jarring for the raven haired baker's daughter. She did not know where it came from. Perhaps it was because Chat had protected her from all the unsavory Chats, she wanted to return the favor by shielding him from the less than practical Ladybugs?

"Dance with me!"

Chat did not get to respond before he was being tugged to the dance floor. He cast a look in her direction, as if silently asking her to intervene on his behalf. It was a look of absolute desperation. He did not want to go with this girl. His mouth moved a little. Did he just ask her to save him? Spurred on by the look of sheer desperation, Marinette knew she could stand by no longer. She stepped up once again. She took the girl's arm off of Chat. Her companion had to look very uncomfortable. He was being fought over by two Ladybugs. Marinette looked far calmer than she felt. She stared the blonde down, daring the other woman to protest against her.

"He's not interested," Marinette said.

"Why don't you let him say so for himself?" the blonde taunted.

"Because he's far too nice to say anything mean about someone like you!" Marinette said. "So get out of here before I go and get one of the staffers."

"I have never been treated so poorly in my entire life! You'll regret this!" the girl shouted.

She was stamping her feet and shouting. Attention was being drawn her way. Chat just shook his head. It was time for them to make a quick escape before security kicked all three of them out, possibly banning them from the convention. Now that was a risk he really did not want to take. He took Marinette's hand and led her away from the screaming blonde. He loosened his collar once they had put some distance between them. The bell around his throat jingled as he did so.

"I am so sor-"

"Don't you apologize for her," Marinette said. "She was being a brat."

"I should have just said no."

Marinette turned to look at him. He looked guilty, like she had been shouting at him instead of the blonde shouting at them both. Her expression softened. She didn't know how he did it. At times, he seemed so confident but then at the drop of a hat, he looked like a kicked kitten. All he would need now is for his ears to droop and watery eyes and Marinette would be putty. She almost reached out to touch his face, but at the last second her hand went to his shoulder.

"Chat, you can't be responsible for what other people do. Don't beat yourself up about it," she told him.

He looked up at her, startled by the sincerity of her tone and the look in her eyes. Her poor Chat. He needed so much preening and lots of affection. The poor gentleman who had gone out of his way to make sure her first day at the con was a good one, who had answered each of her questions, even when Alya had been too busy or off doing her own thing. He did not mind lingering with her. In fact, he really seemed to enjoy her company, hence why he asked her to the formal, but Marinette was afraid he wanted more from her. If he wanted to see her outside of the costumes, he'd laugh over the geeky, clumsy baker's daughter. He would never want to talk to her again.

"Besides, it seems I owe you a dance, kitty cat," she said.

Chat's eyes widened. His mood spiked dramatically. As a wide smile spread across his face and light dancing in his eyes. He bowed deeply and offered her his hand once again. Marinette quickly checked to make sure that the blonde was nowhere near them before she took his hand. It was only once they assumed position for a waltz did Marinette realize, she did not know how to dance. Or at least she remembered that she did not know how.

"Follow my lead," he said gently.

The heat of his breath against her ear sent shivers down her spine. The music started back up once again and they were off. Chat easily led her through a box step. Marinette realized it was a pattern. One, two, three. One, two, three. At least it was until her partner decided to twirl her in and out of the crowd. She was a willing victim in his elaborate dance, just a puppet that he led along on a string. Marinette hoped the blonde ladybug was watching so she could see how real partners behaved. She also wanted the blonde to see that Chat had chosen her as a partner.


	8. Smooth Move

Marinette woke, sleepy but deliriously happy. Last night had been wonderful. She and Chat had danced until the panel closed. That awful girl had left them alone, but had glared daggers at Marinette all night. Marinette opted to ignore her. She wasn't about to let the blonde Ladybug ruin her night, not when Chat was so eager to waltz her into a stupor, quite literally. He was a fantastic dancer. He was also not afraid to lift her or twirl her across the room with a gleeful smile on his face.

And when the night ended, he walked her back to her room and before she could stop him, he kissed her on the hand and bid her a good night. He was the biggest dork she had ever met, but even she could admit he was a gentleman. She buried a little deeper into the blankets as her face began to heat up. It was almost like a date. Except she still didn't know Chat's name! She had the whole night with him and she had forgotten to ask! She was so stupid.

She had to resist the urge to groan. Again. She had forgotten again! What was it with her? At this point she would have to write it on her hand to ask him for his name. He probably thought she was so stupid for asking so long after they first met. But it was a matter of swallowing her pride or finding out who he is and if he really is as good of a person that he acts like. For all she knew, he was just putting on the air of Chat Noir and he was really a huge jerk in real life.

"Chat's outside," Alya announced.

Marinette jolted out of bed. Chat? Why was he waiting outside of their room? Did she forget something last night? Did he want to be let in? She glanced to the clock. It was a reasonable hour – 9 AM. Had she promised to meet him somewhere and he had gotten worried? She couldn't remember. All she knew was that she had nearly danced her feet off with him last night and had been so exhausted she could not go to any late night panels. Though, considering the topic of some of them she could not say she was too sorry to have missed out.

"H-He's what?"

"He's outside the room. He wants to know if you want to go to breakfast."

Breakfast? With Chat? But she hadn't gotten dressed yet! She had barely gotten into her pajamas after he dropped her off at her room. Her heart began to race in her chest. She hadn't even brushed her hair! Her teeth! It was too early for this. Obviously her inner turmoil was beginning to show because Alya raised a brow in amusement and chuckled under her breath.

"I-I'll be out in a minute!" Marinette cried, hopefully loud enough for Chat to hear.

Desperately she threw herself over the side of the bed, seeking her mask. It was a haphazard mess, but she managed to find her ladybug costume and hastily threw it on, nearly tripping over herself in her haste. She had to at least look presentable, she told herself. She then ran to the bathroom and began to clean herself up. She wiped the sleep out of her eyes. She nearly yanked all of the hair out of her head by how hard she was brushing.

* * *

"So, Chat" Alya said slowly.

The black clad youth smiled a little anxiously. There was something about the look that Lady Wifi was giving him that made him squirm a little, like she knew something he didn't know. If he was half the hero that the real Chat Noir was, he wouldn't have taken that treatment lying down. He would bounce back with wit, charm and a purrfectly placed cat pun. Instead, the super hero was just some teenager pretending to be one. He didn't have Chat's confidence. It was easier when Ladybug was around. She seemed to coax the best out of him.

"Er, yeah?"

"You and Ladybug huh?"

"Yeah," he said, gaining confidence, "She's a great partner. I'm glad I got to meet her."

There was a glint in the girl's eyes. A smug reaction, obviously putting her at ease about something or another. She smirked, as if he had just revealed something that he really shouldn't have. He paused, trying to think of what he said that could have elicited such a reaction from the smug villain-to-be. Girls were so confusing sometimes and the poor chat was left reeling at the sudden change.

"You like her, don't you?" Alya asked.

He knew she delighted in the blush that was poorly concealed behind the mask. He wondered if this was how his Ladybug felt when he teased her? It was one thing for Nino to call him out on his crush. It was another when it was a stranger who obviously didn't know him but could just tell that he was falling hard for the lady in red. He smiled meekly and tugged at the bell collar around his neck, trying to loosen it just a little.

* * *

One last check in the mirror to make sure everything was in order and she headed to the door. She just hoped Alya hadn't scared Chat off. She could come off as intense sometimes. She reached to pull Alya out of the way but her friend quickly turned, shutting the door in a surprised Chat Noir's face. She didn't have time to protest. Alya, ever the efficient, did not stop to give her an answer. She just acted.

"Slow down there!" Alya laughed.

She grabbed Marinette by the shoulders, holding her still. Right when Marinette was about to ask what she was doing Alya zipped up the back of Marinette's costume. The raven haired girl blushed to the very roots of her hair. She almost went out half dressed. In front of Chat Noir no less. She would have been too mortified to ask him to help her zip up her costume and heaven forbid she saw her bra. If she had to ask him to, she would rather have the earth swallow her up. This is what Chat did to her. He made her not think.

"You two have fun." Alya laughed as Marinette hurried out the door, "Chat, we're meeting for lunch again, so don't keep her out too long! And no hickies!"

Marinette had gone red by that point. This was humiliating. She specifically told Alya that she did not like Chat that way and yet there she went making insinuations about the two of them together. She was going to die and it was going to be all Alya's fault. Death by humiliation was going to be marked on her tombstone. She was going to blush herself to death. She hoped her techie friend was proud of herself. She all but bullied Chat away from the doorway but the blond was laughing wildly. Though if she had paid better attention to him, she would have noticed he looked terribly relieved she had swooped in when she did.

"Sure! I'll make sure to keep an eye on the time."

* * *

Alya laughed and shut the door behind Marinette and Chat. She quickly dashed over to her phone. Laughing she pulled up her conversation from last night. She and Bubbler had a lot to talk about. They had done away with masks and costumes after the ball, slipping into overly comfy kirigumis and pjs to chat after their roommates had gone to sleep. Nino had admitted that 'Chat' was Adrien. That wasn't what surprised Alya. What surprised her was that Adrien had bought a gift for Marinette/Ladybug because he wanted to go out with her. Obviously nothing had come of it because Marinette didn't have any new jewelry when she came back in but Alya was still hopeful.

She and Nino had recognized each other instantly, mostly because they had both been hyped for the con so they talked about their costumes and it was not hard to put two and two together. They had been talking about the convention for weeks. Alya had not so subtly bragged about how wonderful her best friend was because she had made their costumes for all three days. Nino's costumes were gifts from Adrien. Even still, costume or not, their identities were plain to see.

At least for them.

'Chat Noir' and 'Ladybug' were another story entirely. Marinette had yet to realize that Chat Noir was none other than Adrien Agreste – her crush. And Adrien had yet to realize he actually knew 'His Lady' in real life. Nino and Alya were also quick to realize something was going on between their two best friends. Chat liked Marinette and Marinette was feeling conflicted over liking Adrien or Chat, which was ridiculous because Chat was Adrien. Alya felt like she had a lot of power because she had insider knowledge.

It was almost laughable, if the 'super hero' duo wasn't so oblivious to one another. Watching them interact was on a certain level painful, because they were both floundering for their feelings. Chat's flirting with Ladybug was really starting to wear on Alya. Worst of all, it was unintentionally working in his favor, if only Marinette didn't believe that Chat and Adrien were two different people. If she would just open her eyes a little more, she would see the similarities.

 **Alya:** He just picked her up.

 **Nino:** Geeze, he's such a dork. Seriously. He's over the moon for her.

Alya rolled her eyes. Of course he was. Marinette was great when she actually had confidence in herself, but she was always so tongue tied in front of Adrien that her brain all but melted. Because of her inability to speak in front of her crush, Adrien seemed to think (according to Nino) that Marinette did not like him. She acted normally around everyone else, but when it was the young model, she died a little inside.

 **Alya:** Tell me about it. Marinette can't stop talking about Adrien this or Adrien that.

 **Nino:** … and these two still haven't figured anything out yet? I mean they're wearing masks but come on!

Alya snorted. There was that. She and Nino took one look at one another and instantly recognized the other, even with Nino's face paint and Alya's mask. Their friends were horrendously oblivious to everything outside of the costume. Alya blamed it on their focus. He could only seem to focus on flirting with 'Ladybug' and Marinette was focused on winning Adrien's heart that they had become so blind to what was already in front of them.

 **Alya:** I say we sit back and watch with some popcorn and pocky. So... DDR in the arcade?

 **Nino:** I'll be there in 5.


	9. Plushie Panels and Chatbugs

Adrien was the world's biggest pushover. He knew this now. After surprising Ladybug by showing up at her room to get breakfast together, he knew he was absolutely ruined. He had fallen for this mysterious girl. His gift for her had yet to be given, but he knew it was a matter of time before he became unable to contain himself and would bumble out some excuse for having gotten her something. His only hope was that she wouldn't laugh him off or dismiss it. It wasn't like he could return it anyways.

Breakfast had been great. He was still a little sore from being in costume all day yesterday but he typically was, even after the con was over, so he would just push past it. He would get rest while he was in school, as funny as it sounded. It seemed his Ladybug was quite the trooper too. She hadn't made a single complaint, aside from how annoying that other Ladybug had been the night before. Even he had to admit that the other ladybug the… anti-bug had been frustrating.

"Oh my gosh, Chat! They have a make your own plushie panel?"

Adrien swallowed thickly. He had gone wide eyed at the soft tone she had used and the wonder that he could hear. She sounded so happy that it struck something within the faux hero. He looked up from his muffin to see Ladybug looking up at him imploringly. He coughed heavily, trying his best to clear his mouth so he could speak properly, so he grabbed his carton of milk and took a drink. Before he could say anything, he caught sight of the twinkling of Ladybug's eyes and excitement that seemed to take over her being.

Oh Kwami… He was so screwed.

* * *

Ladybug was too cute. She was all but a flutter as they waited in line for the plushie panel. If Nino found out Adrien was attending the panel and how quickly he had caved into Ladybug's soft spoken request, he would never hear the end of it. Though, if that dazzling smile of Ladybug's kept up, it might just be worth it after all.

The line was long, but they had hastily finished their breakfast and ran to the room where the panel was to be hosted. They certainly weren't the first people there. He had no idea how long those people had been waiting to be first in line. However, they were also not the last people in line, at risk of being cut from the panel due to popularity and inability to get inside. Adrien feared the dejected look on Ladybug's face if that happened. He would buy her any doll she wanted to make up for it if that were to happen, but he knew there was something special about making the doll yourself. Just like Ladybug's costume. Precise. Made with love, attention to detail and utmost care.

Once the doors opened, I t was a mad rush to get inside. Adrien unfortunately wasn't quick enough to get seats by Ladybug. They shared quiet looks and sat at opposite ends of the table so they had seats at least close to one another. He was one of the few guys in the panel/class. He realized he was getting some odd stares for joining but he held his head high, smirked and winked at the few girls who cast him odd looks.

"We can leave if you want," Ladybug murmured softly.

Adrien firmly shook his head. They couldn't leave now. Not after she had lit up like the sun when she heard about the few sewing panels the con had. They had missed all of the good ones on the first day because they had been in and out of the dealer's room and artist's alley. Not to mention the ball. If they left now, their spots would be grabbed up in a snap. Adrien reached across the table, taking Ladybug's hand in his.

"It'll be fine, My Lady," he said.

Ladybug blushed when he gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. Pink tinted the visible skin of her face. She was absolutely delightful. It was killing him bit by bit but in the best way. He would probably be deliriously happy after the convention until he realized he would not get to see his Ladybug… He was half tempted to bring her hand to his lips, kiss the back of her knuckles, but one, he knew she would hit him and two; they were really far apart so it was a bit of a reach, over a few people, to just take her hand in his.

"Hush Alley Cat, it's starting," she said dismissively.

Though separated by the entire table, Adrien had the perfect vantage point to watch Ladybug as she worked. As the panel started, the host walked them through step by step instructions to make the doll.

Beginning class or not, Adrien began to feel miles behind everyone else. He was absolutely lost in his instruction. A few of the girls around him took pity. Perhaps it was pity on him. Perhaps it was pity on the misshapen lump he was going to call a doll. He was not quite sure either way. But with their guidance and help, along with the help of the host, he made a pretty good looking cat doll.

He had opted for black with green eyes, for obvious reasons. At least a few of the girls around him thought it was amusing that Chat was making a cat. Ladybug had picked up a swatch of fabric that was meant for a calico designed cat. She used yellow buttons for the eyes. Careful, tiny stitches made the nose. Not like she could make a ladybug. The panel was for cat plushies because of internet meme reasons.

Ladybug suffered no such struggles with her doll as he did. Her stitches were neat, practiced and precise. As she sewed, her tongue peeked past her lips unnoticed due to the amount of concentration she was putting into the creature. He had been staring at her more than he should, seeing as he stabbed himself a few times with the needle. One of the other girls passed him over a bandaid and a thimble to help protect him better and he was encouraged to take his gloves off. Sewing with the Chat Noir gloves was next to impossible anyways so he relented.

* * *

Adrien walked out with a shell of a doll because had run out of time to finish the project. He probably never would get to finish it considering how he had to spend his time outside of conventions. His was nowhere near as good as Ladybug's. It was obvious who wielded more skill with the needle. Though, he would be the first to admit this was his first time picking up a needle and he was proud of what he made, even if it didn't look as good as his Lady's. But she looked happy as she cuddled her finished product. He couldn't help like that was a good panel well spent.

"So… Where's yours?" Ladybug asked.

Adrien quickly hid the abomination of a plush behind his back. He could not show her what he had yet to do. He hadn't gotten to finish everything. It still had no eyes and no face. He hadn't even stuffed it yet. Just a shell, a husk of what a cat was supposed to be. He had a bag of supplies to do it on his own, at home, perhaps after the con but really, he knew his father wasn't going to give him the time. It was only because Chat Noir wore a mask that he was even at this one. All of his characters from past cons had masks so no one could tell famous model Adrien Agreste was among them.

"Chat, come on, let me see!"

"No way, my Lady, you'll laugh at me and I'm afraid my pride might not be able to take it this time," he teased.

"I will not."

Adrien did not look so convinced. He gave her a rather skeptical look, imploring her to just let it drop. But her gaze did not waver. Eventually, Adrien had to be the one to look away because he knew that if he kept looking, he would not be able to withstand the gentle pressure and reassurances. They teased and poked at one another but he wanted her to take him seriously. It was hard enough trying to impress her. He wanted so badly for her to think he was cool and to like him.

"Chat, I promise."

The sincerity of her voice did him in. What put the nail in the coffin was when he chanced a glance in her direction. It was then that he knew he was sunk. She was far too good and far too honest. There was a kind, patient smile on her face and a gentle twinkle in her eyes that promised no harm. He sighed. Victory was hers it would seem. He was ruined by this mysterious girl in a mask. Reluctantly, he passed over the half-finished cat. Ladybug's expression softened.

"Let's get off to the side. I'll help you finish it if you'd like."

"It is quite a _cat_ astrophe. I think it's left me in _stitches_."

"Oh, we can't have that now," Ladybug laughed.

She motioned for him to follow her. She sat down once they were by the wall of the hallway. She reached into the bag at her side. After fishing around for a few seconds, she pulled out a sewing kit, perhaps a repair kit she kept for her own costume in case something needed repair? Her doll was promptly placed in Adrien's lap. He blinked and sheepishly looked down at her doll. The little yellow buttons glittered in the light above their heads.

However, this was also a very good time to watch Ladybug work up close so he tore his eyes away from her cat to watch her work. He might as well as not have been there at all. She was so focused in her work that it actually warmed his heart. She cleaned up his sloppy stitches and attempted repairs, the tangled mess of strings. Within half an hour, the doll was saved. It looked just as nice as Ladybug's did. He wondered if she was just a perfectionist and could not stand to see a doll go unfinished or look as lousy as his did. After the doll was finished, she turned it over, pulling out green thread as she did so.

"What are you doing?"

"Last touch," she mumbled.

His name. Or at least the name 'Chat Noir' had been stitched into the tail of the doll in the vivid green thread. It was such a pretty cursive too. If he were to try to stitch his name like that it would be a garish mess. Just like his doll had been. Adrien blushed. Embroidery too? His lady was far too skilled for his poor heart to handle. But it was wonderful to keep learning new things about his cosplay partner in crime.

"There. Finished." She announced.

"Ladybug, I don't know what to say," he said.

"You don't have to," she replied.

Adrien looked down at the green eyed doll. His thumb absentmindedly traced over the careful calligraphy Ladybug had stitched into his cat. He felt horrid. She had to go back and fix his work because he could not do it himself. No one else seemed to have such a hard time with it. It was because he was no good with a needle and thread. Now, because of him, they had missed out on other panels in the time it took for her to fix his creation.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled.

Adrien noticed that as Ladybug blinked owlishly, her lashes were delicate and long. The slow movement of the lids and the soft glimmer in her eyes betrayed her confusion. Words stuck on his tongue, heavily weighing on him. He wanted to tell her how pretty she looked and how much he appreciated that she was sticking with him even though she really didn't have to. He clenched the little cat doll in his hands, holding it like it was something precious and he would never let go. If he were honest with himself, it would be the only doll displayed in his room.

"Chat, I don't mind. Really. I'm glad you gave it a try," she said. "And I'm sorry you didn't have fun."

"No!" He insisted sharply, surprising the both of them. "This has been a lot of fun! I guess sewing just isn't my thing."

"Let's leave the sewing up to me from now on," Ladybug laughed.

"Sure, but I'll be right here if you _need-_ le me," he teased.

It was silent for a moment before they started to laugh. It seemed all was forgiven after all. Things were back to the way they were. The cosplaying duo had an easy enough time to bounce back despite the insecurities they had about what was going on between the two of them. Adrien's fear kept him from asking who his mysterious lady was. Little did he know, Ladybug was facing the same issues, because she was afraid he would not like her outside of the costume and without the mask. But also because, she had conflicting feelings with someone else.

"Besides, we now have two cute little _Chatbugs_ of our own!"

"Chat!"


	10. AMV Panel

After a quick grab-and-go lunch with Alya and Bubbler, Marinette and Chat were off again. This time, they were heading to the AMV contest as per Chat's request. It was a good way to get a taste for the different animes, games and manga out there, while listening to catchy music. It particularly focused on anime, since it was an AMV or anime music video. However, a few other genres managed to squeeze into the miscellaneous categories and to be all inclusive of the different likes and dislikes of the audience.

They got there early; found seats while the lights were still on, but then when the panel started, the lights went out. Marinette was partially glad of it. Chat couldn't see her blush. This was just like a movie date! They had brought their own food. It was dark like a theater. Is this what Chat thought it was? She sank a little in her seat. It was difficult to focus on the music videos after that. She all but honed in on her sandwich, barely daring to lift her eyes out of the fear she would meet Chat's gaze. _Please, please don't be looking at me_ , she silently thought.

Chat bagged up his trash before draping his arm around the back of Marinette's chair. At least he hadn't faked a yawn to do it. It seemed there were small mercies in this world after all. Regardless, Marinette could feel her heart racing in her chest. She could barely hear the tune to the music. She had gone all but stiff in her seat. She was alone at a con with a boy she barely knew but she was… okay with it? When had her life become this confusing? This strange?

After a few minutes, she found herself relaxing. Chat hadn't tried anything untoward. His arm was just behind the back of her chair. His thumb was moving circles in the fabric of the chair, not touching her. She didn't even think he was aware of what he had just done. She spared a glance at him out of the corner of her eye. He looked so calm now, serene even. He was smiling, like usual, but it was muted, more relaxed and far less smug. She wondered that if he were the real Chat Noir, if he would be purring.

She then looked back at the screen. There was no reason to let him catch her staring at him. He would think something of it, knowing that silly cat the way she did. She couldn't help but smile. The cosplayer at her side was frustrating at times, but she did like him. His company had become something she had grown to enjoy. She let out a slow breath, feeling infinitely calmer than before. After a few moments, she found herself leaning against Chat's side. This really wasn't so bad after all.

* * *

Adrien had honestly not been paying attention until after he put his arm around Ladybug. He noticed immediately when she went rigid in her seat, all but locking up. Should he remove his arm? Laugh it off? Heaven help him, she was so warm and he wasn't even really holding her. His wasn't sure but he was pretty sure his heart was beating to the tune of the jpop blaring through the speakers. He couldn't even concentrate on the flashy anime on the screen, something about giant robots or was that three videos ago?

He took a sharp breath when Ladybug relaxed against his side. His eyes flickered down but all he could see was the dark inky strands of hair. The room was far too dim to see her expression, but if he had to hazard a guess, she was happy. So he too went back to ease. He leaned into his chair and Ladybug followed. Her head rested on his shoulder, her back pressed against the side of his chest. This was nice, he realized. Just the two of them chilling out and watching anime. Not like he got to do much of that with Nino since Nino preferred video game characters to anime and only became the Bubbler because Adrien wanted to go with a bad guy.

"Oh my gosh, they're so cute," someone behind him breathed.

"I ship it so hard," another girl whispered.

Adrien could feel the heat on the back of his neck as he fought back a blush. He hoped with everything he had that Ladybug did not hear them. So he turned his head and gave the best glare he could muster. Unfortunately, it was the wrong reaction because the two girls broke into giggles and were gushing to one another. With a roll of his eyes, he turned back ahead but not before glancing at Ladybug again. She gave no indication that she heard them.

Were those girls gushing and giggling because of the costumes? Because they really happened to like Chat Noir and Ladybug together as a couple? As LadyNoir? It wasn't canon in the comics but it was certainly hinted that there were feelings the two comic book heroes held for one another. Or was it that they thought that Adrien and his mystery girl really were a couple? A couple's cosplay? Now that, Adrien realized, he wouldn't have minded so much, if only Ladybug had given any indication of whether or not she liked him just as much as he felt he liked her.

Not knowing was driving the impersonating hero mad. He had to find out eventually. He told himself he would ask for her name by the end of the convention or he would never go to another con again. How could he when he didn't muster up enough strength to ask a pretty girl for her name? Nino had been laughing at him for the past two days. Adrien's pride was on the line, but also, the chance to lose a girl like Ladybug. He was scared she was already seeing someone. What if she thought he was being too forward? What if she didn't like him back?

He sighed and looked down at her again. He supposed, if that were the case, he should just enjoy the time he had with her now; otherwise, he would keep wondering what ifs all weekend and really bum himself out. Unfortunately, like all good things, they must come to an end. The lights slowly flickered back on, people got up from their seats, yawning and stretching as they went to turn in the votes for the best AMV.

"So, my Lady, what'd you think?" Chat asked in an attempt to keep it cool.

"I didn't know people were so creative." Marinette said. "I just… I don't know much about video editing but I know a lot of work went into the videos."

She was humble too? Stick a fork in him. He was done. Somehow he managed to maintain his smile. It took a lot of energy just to keep from hugging her tight after that one. She was too sweet for her own good. His heart gave a slight jolt as he began to wonder if she was this way outside of the costume. It really made him want to ask. More particularly, the question about her name was on the tip of his tongue, but froze where it was when she looked up at him. Talk about having your tongue glued to the roof of your mouth.

"Yeah, my friend… You know, Bubbler, his was one of them."

"Which one? We should vote for his," Ladybug insisted.

"I don't think he'd want to win that way." Adrien said. "We would be bias."

Ladybug shot him a skeptical look. Adrien's smile became a little more sheepish as he tried to avoid her gaze. She could see right through him at this point. He scratched the back of his neck with his clawed gloves. When she cleared her throat, he made the regretful decision to look at her. She didn't look like she believed him when he said he was trying to avoid a bias. But how could he not vote for Nino? They were best friends. Nino had been working on his amv for months. Nino had avoided going to the showings because he wanted to be surprised when it came time for the award ceremony.

"Are _you_ voting for his?"

"Okay, I am, but he's my best friend," Chat said.

End the end they both ended up voting for Nino's video.


	11. Private Photoshoot

Posing with Chat was much easier now. She felt far more comfortable with him now than she had been when she first started out. They had been asked for a few pictures so they obliged for the photographers. Chat had wrapped his arms around her waist and nuzzled against her neck as he smiled at the camera. Marinette smiled and leaned back into his arms. This was comfortable. This was easy. She trusted her cosplaying partner. Nameless boy or not, she knew that Chat would not hurt her. That amount of trust was enough to shock her.

"You know, we could always get a private photoshoot." Chat mused.

"What do you mean?" Marinette asked.

"At cons, there are photographers," Chat explained, "They set times for people to book appointments and we get some really cool pictures."

Marinette bit the inside of her cheek. That was a wonderful opportunity. She didn't know why she didn't think of it in the first place. Photos would be good for her portfolio for her future art school. If she could show off her work, her handmade costume, on a model no less with some good photos, it would look better than just saying she made it and a picture of the costume on a mannequin. Yes, models made things look much better… Like Adrien, oh Adrien… She quickly shook herself out of that train of thought, because if she started to think of Adrien she knew she would do something stupid.

"Do… you want to?" she asked softly.

"For you, my Lady, anything," he said.

Chat took her hand in his, pressing a light kiss to her knuckles. It felt like Marinette's brain was short circuiting. Get her away from this guy. He was going to kill her by being too much of a gentleman if it were at all possible. Automatically, Marinette pushed him away. He didn't take offense or look at all upset by her denial of his affections. If anything, she could see his shoulders shaking with his inability to contain his laughter. Glittering green eyes sparkled up at her. He reached behind him and whipped out a cell phone as he stood up straight.

"Let me make a call."

* * *

How she let Chat talk her into this, Marinette did not know. Not only was their photographer someone she knew, it was Alya. Apparently, Chat's buddy Bubbler told Alya that Marinette and Chat wanted pictures. In a private photo shoot. Marinette felt like she was in a special level of Hell, just for her, especially since Alya was directing them like little puppets, poses, placement, lighting, it all had to be perfect for her journalism-obsessed friend. As long as Alya didn't post anything to her Ladyblog – the blog she ran dedicated to the webcomic, Marinette could die of embarrassment in peace.

"Hands on her hips, Chat, not her ribs, her hips." Alya barked.

"Sorry," he said quickly.

Chat smiled sheepishly and put his hands back on her hips. He looked as shy and timid about this as Marinette herself felt. He didn't seem to want to force himself into Marinette's space, which she appreciated greatly, but Alya had other plans. They were a dynamic duo in the comics and an eventual couple… Very far down the line in the series, very far… So Alya wanted to take the romantic spin on their photo shoot, after they got their individual action shots. Marinette had posed with her yo-yo, Chat had his staff, they pretended to fight a foe, pretended to fight each other, fought back to back, now Alya was doing as she pleased.

At least they didn't have to pay one of the professional photographers that were walking around. It also appeared they were all booked for the weekend. If they had wanted one of those photographers, they were supposed to have booked a few months in advance. Who knew? Well, apparently Chat did, but he had been confident that they could find someone. He insisted that they would get pictures one way or another because he had contacts that would get a photographer to them.

"Guys, you're trying to convince the viewer you are Ladybug and Chat Noir. Start acting like it!" Alya scolded.

Chat chuckled. He _thought_ he had been acting like Chat Noir all weekend. He hadn't broken character aside from his little outburst in the Dealer's room over the manga that Ladybug helped him find. That was just boyish glee that had broken through his Chat mask. Ladybug didn't judge him for that. He didn't want to scare her away now by being far too forward with her. He already knew she was PDA shy or maybe it was just that she was shy around him.

"I hope you don't mind," Chat murmured.

Marinette looked up at him. He brought a clawed hand to her face. If she moved a hair in either direction, she could feel the gloved claws brush lightly against her skin. Green. So much green. Her mouth had gone dry at that point. Her hand found its way to Chat's chest and her knees may have buckled just a little. One little pose and their entire world narrowed down to the two of them. Neither of them were paying any attention to the _click_ , _click_ , _click_ of Alya's camera.

"Chat," Marinette breathed.

She needed his name now more than ever. She couldn't just keep calling this guy Chat Noir. Yes, he was pretending to be Chat, but beneath the mask he was someone else, someone real. She wanted to know him for him, not for who he was pretending to be, though there had to be certain elements of Chat's personality that were a part of his own personality. She had to know who this guy was once and for all, determine whether he was someone she wanted to be around for more than just this one convention. The thought of not seeing him again made her heart ache.

"So, next pose you two?"

Marinette cast a sour look at Alya. Her friend just smiled knowingly. Alya interrupted her. She had been about to ask. She was going to ask him this time, she had told herself. But it appears, she was going to have to wait until the next chance she got, perhaps when her overbearing friend was not around. Apparently, when they were alone, this was going to be another thing Marinette was going to be teased for, just like how she was teased for never signing her presents, particularly those to Adrien.

"Sure, we've got plenty of time, right Bugaboo?"

"Not your Bugaboo," Marinette muttered.


	12. Mock Combat Panel

As it was, Ladybug felt bad for dragging him to the plushie sewing panel. She therefore insisted that he pick their next panel. Despite his reasoning that it had been upon his request that the go to the AMV panel, she argued that it was a mutual choice. She said that they had gone to support a friend and so his choice had been void. The fact she considered his friend one of her friends was oddly satisfying. It left him feeling rather helpless. After much deliberation and the fact they were running out of time for panels, Adrien decided that his best option was to pick a panel that would impress her.

Mock Combat.

He took sword fighting after school, beating a bunch of guys with foam weapons shouldn't be too hard, especially when he had a lovely Ladybug cheering him on. That was, until, he realized she would be joining in on the fighting. They had been lined up by the panel holder and given weapons. Chat had a foam-tipped staff at his side. He glanced worriedly over to Ladybug. She was weighing her toy sword in hand, swinging it slightly as if trying to get used to the balance of it.

"Er, we could always try a different panel," Adrien insisted.

He didn't think his heart would be able to take it. While this was an intermediate level mock combat class, the other 'players' in the room often got rough and they fought dirty. A couple of them were already talking amongst themselves, sniggering over the few girls who had decided to join the 'class'. Really Adrien just saw it as a place for guys to beat the crap out of each other with foam weapons but now that someone else was involved he was worried. Once or twice (in conventions before he met Ladybug), Adrien had even walked away with bruises from some not so subtly placed kicks or punches.

"It'll be okay, Kitty," Ladybug assured her.

Chat wasn't so sure. He didn't want her to get hurt. He also did not want her to blame him if she did, especially if she did not want to hang out anymore. He didn't want to lose a friend because of a silly accident. He would just have to make sure to be on his guard, watch her back a little more closely, take a hit or two if he had to. He would keep his Ladybug safe and try to make sure she had a good time. As long as his face wasn't bruised, his father wouldn't care how banged up he got, particularly because of his model lifestyle.

"She'll be fine. I'll watch after her," a new voice injected.

The duo looked up in slight confusion, mostly from Ladybug since she was probably certain her Chat would have said something like that but it was obviously not him. Adrien's eye twitched in slight annoyance. It was Chat Blanc – the antagonist of their comic book series. This Chat was larger than Adrien was. He had a huge foam broadsword and worst of all, it didn't look like had a hard time lifting it. This man was a heavy hitter, whereas Adrien and Ladybug were more of speedy fighters. They were probably faster than he was, especially with that shield in hand.

"Don't you worry my Lady, no one will get past me." The Chat Blanc vowed.

Chat Blanc took Ladybug's hand and attempted to give it a kiss. Adrien growled under his breath, already lifting his staff before the proctor said go. He would get kicked out of the panel for sure if he struck first but he wasn't about to let this guy start kissing all over Ladybug. However, Ladybug was ready, like she usually was. She pulled her hand back just before Chat Blanc kissed her and took a step closer to Adrien. He stood protectively at her side, weapon ready and a dark glare on his face, warning the lighter colored Chat off.

"Cosplay is not consent," Ladybug said firmly. "I have a partner already."

Adrien knew he was being protective of Ladybug but he could not help himself. Yes, cosplay was not consent. It's why he always asked if she was okay with something before he did anything. She was just as human as he was, not some doll for him to ogle and it was certainly not okay for someone to do something that would make her uncomfortable just because she was wearing a costume. Adrien would fight that one to his last breath if he had to, but he really hoped it didn't come down to it.

"Okay, now that you've got your weapons, we're going to pick teams, red weapons, on my side, blue weapons on the other side."

Adrien looked to his weapon quickly. He felt himself pale. For a moment, he felt dizzy. Blue. Then he hurriedly looked over at Ladybug. Red. Why on earth hadn't they picked the same color weapons? This was his fault. He should have done something. He frantically looked around. The teams were already starting to split up. Not good. Not good. Chat Blanc smirked in triumph, eyes glittering darkly as that smug expression landed between the duo. He had a red weapon as well. Adrien couldn't protect her from her own team, nor could he protect her from his own so he quickly turned to her, trying to talk her out of this before they got roped in.

"My Lady-"

"Go on Chat, I'll see you after this is done," Ladybug said.

Adrien hesitated. He reluctantly walked over to the blue side. From where he was standing, he could see Chat Blanc looming right behind Ladybug, watching her every move like a wolf about to eat the sheep. It boiled Adrien's blood. Adrien wasn't typically prone to violence but he did not like how the other man was looking at his friend. How was he supposed to protect her if they were on opposite sides? He couldn't change his weapon. There weren't enough to go around.

"That guy…" someone said. "Is he messing with your girlfriend?"

Adrien looked up to see who was talking to him now, but it was harder to do than usual since he was still trying to keep his eyes on Ladybug and that other Chat Noir. There was a red headed boy next to him. He vaguely remembered the character's name was Evillustrator. The red head readjusted his grip on his short sword. The teen looked concerned about something and that set Adrien on edge. If this stranger was worried about the second Chat and had only been watching for a few seconds, something had to be wrong.

"Yeah." Adrien grunted.

"Okay." The boy said, "That guy has been a problem all weekend with con-ops. I'm a staffer…"

"Huh?"

Adrien twitched. The guy has been a problem? And now he was being troublesome to his Ladybug! Chat wasn't jealous or anything. But the obvious distress from Ladybug was apparent as she tried to edge away from him. Chat Blanc did not seem to realize that he was crossing a line, that he had gone too far and was three seconds away from Chat Noir springing into action. Evillustrator seemed to chuckle to himself. He put his sword out in Chat's way to keep him from bounding over to Chat Blanc.

"He keeps hitting on all the girls dressed like Ladybug. So… well, your Ladybug is next."

Oh no she was not! Not if Adrien could help it. His grip on his staff had the leather of his gloves crinkling in protest. The smug smirk that was sent his way by the Chat in white leather made Adrien's blood boil. That was his partner. She was his friend. Even if he didn't know her name, they were together at this convention and this new Chat was threatening to take that away from him. That was something that Adrien was not going to stand for.

"Do you mind fighting Ladybug for me? I need to teach this guy a lesson."

"Nah, it's no big deal," Evillustrator said. "Besides, some guys are kind of thoughtless when they fight."

Adrien smiled. If this were the comics, fans would be raging by now. A hero making a deal with a villain? Never mind that it was a villain who also had a crush on the same person as Chat! Though, Adrien was grateful for the help. He felt like it was also the out that Evillustrator needed. It didn't seem like he was really the fighting type and Ladybug wouldn't hurt him if he did not hurt her. The duo shook on it, earning an odd look from Ladybug from across the room. She had been watching them, when she hadn't been trying to edge away from Chat Blanc that was.

A whistle sounded the start of the mock fight.

Adrien lunged at Chat Blanc like this was a life or death battle over Ladybug, which it really felt like it was. Adrien wasn't threatened by Chat Blanc's presence but he also did not want to subject Ladybug to this shameful mockery any longer than he had to. His staff clashed with Chat Blanc's sword. From over his shoulder, he could see Ladybug fighting Evillustrator. It helped put him to ease, since it appeared the two of them were more at a similar fighting level and were staying well out of everyone's way. No one else was trying to cut in on their fight since they were too busy with their own.

"What's the matter Noir, scared I'm gonna steal your girl away?"

"Purr-lease!" Adrien huffed, "She has better taste in Chats than you."

Chat Blanc twitched in anger. He shifted his weight and tried overpowering Adrien with sheer strength. It was times like this, when Adrien was glad his father had put him into fencing. He knew he wasn't a particularly strong person, but he knew how to fend for himself. Adrien slipped back, letting Chat Blanc stagger forward since Adrien was no longer there to balance his weight. The larger teen stumbled and Chat Noir took that as his chance.

* * *

Marinette was more than a little worried when Chat Blanc went after Chat Noir. She didn't want the blonde boy who had been her guide/companion for the con to get hurt. Chat Blanc had boasted about how he did this stuff all the time, how he was so good at this he had trophies. That didn't impress Marinette very much. Actually, Chat Blanc was more of an annoyance than anything. She would have liked it if her yo-yo prop had been real because she would have just zipped out of there, but sadly, a prop was still a prop at the end of the day, incapable of the magnificent feats it could accomplish on the pages of a comic book.

But she wasn't able to keep fully occupied by Chat versus Chat. She was challenged by Evillustrator. The two of them playfully bat at one another, making sure not to swing too hard. There were lots of apologies issued when they either hit the other or their grip on their swords slipped. Obviously, sword fighting was not for the either of them, something the red headed boy and red clad girl could laugh over.

"Geeze, they're really going at it," Evillustrator commented. "Chat Noir was serious."

"Huh?"

"The other guy's been causing problems all weekend. Guess you could say that when I told Chat Noir, it really got under his fur."

"Don't you start too," Marinette said automatically.

She lowered her sword, as did her opponent. Out of breath and certainly not getting a second wind back, she decided to walk over to the side and get a drink. Evillustrator followed. He stopped at the water jug and got them both a cup of water. The nice thing about conventions was that they provided free water throughout the hallway; sadly it was because most people forgot to stay hydrated if the reminder wasn't out in the open. People also tended to forget to eat or forget to sleep because there was so much going on that they didn't want to miss a thing.

"Your boyfriend is pretty protective."

"Uh h-he's not – we're not – We've just met!" Marinette protested.

She was glad she hadn't taken a drink yet. She was already spluttering as if she had. She gripped the plastic cup in her hand, feeling the flimsy plastic twist so she loosened her grip enough not to crack the cup. No need in spilling water all over her because she was being reckless. She avoided looking at Evillustrator. This was so embarrassing. She wanted the group to open up and swallow her whole so she didn't have to deal with this.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I just assumed… I wonder why Chat didn't say anything when I asked." Evillustrator said.

Marinette looked at him and then to Chat. Had Chat insinuated that they were an item? She was left feeling a little uncomfortable. She liked Chat. Yes. But she liked Adrien too. She knew Adrien. He was in her class. Anything she started with Chat was probably not going to work out. She didn't even know where Chat lived, if he wasn't local, the distance would kill whatever relationship they had. Friendship was even a stretch. All that and she still didn't even know his name.


	13. Game Room

**I am not one for author's notes but I felt an explanation was due. I'm in the process of finding a new job. My current job pays peanuts and I have bills to pay. Writing unfortunately has to take a backseat until I get a better job. But I will do what I can to get chapters out more.**

* * *

After the incident with mock combat, they decided that they had enough fighting for one day, so they decided to settle things properly, through combat via video games. It started when Chat started boasting that if this were a game, he totally would have used a finishing move on Chat Blanc. Unable to avoid rising to such a challenge, Marinette declared that if this were a game, then she wouldn't have needed him to step in on her behalf. She would have used a finishing move herself. An eyebrow quirk and several boasting comments later, they found themselves in the game room.

The arcade was loud and noisy. The games were crowded, but not overwhelmingly so. They would be able to get a turn or two in before they had to dash off to meet Alya and Bubbler for dinner. Granted, Chat said he had a surprise for dinner and refused to tell Marinette. It frustrated the young woman that he was being so tight lipped about it, but he just gave her a knowing smile and insisted that she would like his surprise.

Frustrating Chat.

Pushing her annoyances aside, she couldn't help but smile when she saw some of her childhood video games projected onto the wall for the room to see as competitors beat one another into a pulp. Final Clash, Last Legacy, Wonder Brawl… Oh if only she had found out sooner all of this was here, she would have insisted they skip mock combat and come straight there, but then again, combat was Chat's choice, not hers. She wanted this to be fair to him too. She already dragged him to the sewing panel, which he sat through like a real trooper.

"So you're a real gamer, huh?" Chat asked upon seeing the look of awe on her face.

"Yeah, me and my dad play together all the time!" Marinette said.

It was a family past time. Her mother would watch as Marinette all but thrashed her father in every versus combat game the family bought and when the family wasn't busy with the shop they were together. The father-daughter team was highly impressive in two person duel combat games, particularly when teamed together. No one in the Dupain-Cheng household could deny that Marinette had a knack for button smashing when it came to games.

"That must be really cool," Chat said.

The tone in his voice made Marinette look up at him in surprise. Chat sounded so wistful, like he was almost jealous of what she had. He wasn't looking at her either. He was watching a group of friends playing DDR. Did he not have someone at home to play games with? Marinette knew that was something really personal and she didn't want to upset Chat Noir by asking, particularly since they weren't even on a first name basis. But at this point, she felt it was too late in the game to ask his name. He was simply Chat Noir.

"My Lady," he said with an elegant flourish of a bow, "Would you do the honor of fighting alongside me one more time?"

"Why Chat, I thought you'd never ask." Marinette laughed.

She placed her hand in his and they walked over to the line for Wonder Brawl. So apparently, it was like musical chairs. The players had decided that you only gave up your seat when you lost. It took some time but Chat and Marinette eventually got a seat together. The other gamers were okay with the team setting request, probably because they assumed that because Marinette was a girl, she would drag Chat down in a flaming ball of loss.

They had another thing coming.

Not only was Marinette a good player, she and Chat were an unstoppable force to be reckoned with. They dominated the floor. Because of that, they had a lot of challengers come to try and knock them down from their folding chair thrones and say they upset the reigning 'champions' of the day. Chat took her skill level in stride. He seemed to be glowing with pride for her and one step away from bragging about how great she was.

"My lady, you won the match," Chat said, "And I do believe you've won my heart."

Marinette rolled her eyes, trying to keep a blush off her cheeks. Really? Winning his heart? He was getting cheesier and cheesier. She would be lying is she said she wasn't amused though. She truly did feel like he was a good guy all around, even if he had an adoration for puns, he had been nothing but polite and kind. She would be sad once the con ended. What if she never saw him again? That thought alone was enough to make her feel a little down.

Chat was grinning at her, like that cat that caught the canary, proudly presenting his findings to her. The boy behind the mask must have been even more charming. Marinette, however, liked Adrien. She told herself this time and time again. Adrien, Adrien, Adrien…. There was no room for another love interest in her life. Besides, the guy would forget about her by the time the next convention rolled around and another show or comic or game became more popular and he would forget about Chat Noir and the Ladybug he had spent the con with.

"Silly Chat," she scolded lightly.


	14. Maid Cafe

Dinner was something special. It would appear Chat Noir had gotten them reservations at the maid café when Marinette wasn't paying attention, though with as many things as was going on, she was bound to have gotten distracted at one point or another, particularly when people were taking her picture. There were also a few times where she had gotten completely lost in conversation with another cosplayer about crafting. Chat would just watch on, sometimes adding in when talking about styles, but staying out of the more detail oriented things like sewing machines and worbla. He would just smile fondly at her the entire time. She got as excited over crafting as he did over the manga they had found.

After a while, he guided her to the maid café, a slight knowing smirk on his face. Apparently, all of the proceeds from the maid café went to charity, so Marinette was hard pressed to tell him no. It was even harder pressed when he looked distinctly upset when she started to voice her opinion against it. Besides, it was for a really good cause. Alya was all in once she found out that Chat was paying for everything. Who turned down free food at a con of all places?

Chat sat beside her, arm draped over the back of her chair, sipping on some bubble tea, laughing at some joke that Bubbler had told, much to the groan of Alya. It was nice. Marinette could almost see them doing this outside of a convention setting, like a big group of friends. Maybe go to her parents shop, steal the leftover sweets of the day and hide out to play video games in her room or something? It was a common occurrence with her and Alya, mostly because if the sweets and breads weren't eaten that day, they would be given to the senior's center. Or they could go to someone else's place and hang out there.

Chat insisted everyone get what they wanted. Bubbler and Alya did not need to be told twice, but Marinette hesitated. She didn't want to put Chat out money wise. What if there was something else he wanted and by buying their dinners he was unable to get it? She had saved and scraped to have enough to come, not to mention costume costs, room costs and all the other costs of a cosplay. Chat was patient and reassured her he did not have to worry about that.

"Please, my lady, enjoy yourself for me, that's all the repayment this alley cat needs," he said.

That earned an eye roll in response, but she didn't make any moves to shrug his arm off the back of her chair. This closeness to him was quite distracting, something that Alya was so going to tease her for later. But realizing her protests were falling on deaf ears, she decided to place an order. She got dumplings and green tea. Her mom would make these from time to time, when it was her nights to cook, which was more often than her father, considering he had to man the pastry shop. Her father had also taken to making traditional Chinese pastries, for her mom's sake and to remind her of her old home.

The maid brought them the food, smiling cheerily, offering to sit with them and play games or to bring over a few games for them to play by themselves. They opted for the later seeing as there were lots of table that needed attention and not enough maids to go around. A few Sudoku puzzles were laid out on the table for them, as well as some anime crossword puzzles.

"So, my lady, have I won you over to convention life yet?" Chat asked.

"Don't flatter yourself!" Marinette scoffed, fighting a blush.

"You'll be a con-goer yet, my lady. I still have time to convince you."

Marinette didn't breathe a word further on the topic. Chat had already convinced her that cons were a lot of fun. She was around other people who were just as geeky as she was and she was commended for her skill in sewing because of her likeness to the character. She got to see different takes on different costumes and different characters. She gorged herself on pocky and other snacks from Japan. She got to dance with Chat Noir.

She made new friends.

"Are you two going to the rave tonight?" Bubbler asked.

Marinette hesitated. The rave. She had forgotten all about it. 2nd night in of the con and there would be loud music, flashing lights and lots and lots of people. She wasn't so sure she wanted to go. While she did make a costume for it, she didn't think she had the confidence to wear it. Especially now that Chat and Bubbler were going to either be with them or looking for them in the crowd.

"Of course we are! We've got some killer costumes too," Alya bragged.

"Did you make those too?" Chat asked Marinette.

She shifted under everyone's gaze. Yes, she made all the costumes for the weekend. The super hero suits, the dresses, the rave outfit and the kigurumis. She had given herself an entire year to do all eight costumes and swore to never take on that many projects in a year ever again. There were many nights she spent late, sewing, until her eyes burned and she had long since run out of any caffeine product she used to keep herself awake at ungodly hours. It meant pricked fingers and thread jams in her sewing machine. It meant fabric paint and swearing to herself as she dotted her fingers with hot glue.

Cosplay was pain.

Now she was just worried what Chat Noir and his friend would think of their rave outfits. She wished she never made them. Granted, they fit the theme of a night club just fine, but now that guys would be looking, she did not want to give them the wrong impression of her, and they were just very revealing. She felt just a little uncomfortable with the attention.

"I'm going as Ladybug!" Chat announced. "Or I guess you could say Lady Beetle, since I'm a guy…"

"Oh, really?" Alya said, feigning innocence.

Alya was going to do it. She was going to throw Marinette under the bus. This was how she died, Marinette decided, sheer and utter mortification thanks to Alya. Goodbye world, she knew thee well. Tell her mom and dad she loved them. Alya was no longer allowed to have her clothes when she died. So much for the pet hamster she wanted. She would never live past this moment because she was going to die of embarrassment and it would be stamped on her gravestone.

"Our Ladybug is going to be Chat Noir," Alya announced.

"Oh," Chat said, sounding far too pleased with himself. "I cannot wait."


End file.
